The World Health Organization, meanwhile, cites additional signs such as excessive feelings of guilt and suicidal thoughts, and estimates that 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression.
These are the findings of researchers from the University of California, who set out to determine whether there was a link between body temperature and depression. The scientists analysed data from 20,880 participants from 106 countries with an average age of 47.They wore body-temperature monitors, and were asked to report their temperature and potential symptoms of depression daily, over a period of seven months.
“The body-temperature data also showed a trend toward higher depression scores in people whose temperatures had less fluctuation throughout a 24-hour period, but this finding didn’t reach significance,” an accompanying news release explains. In particular, they evoke the use of jacuzzis or saunas to achieve this by stimulating self-cooling in the body.