Leaving your Christmas lights up is actually good for your mental health

We knew it.

Is anyone else so sad that it's January all of a sudden? Every bloody year Christmas seems to pass in the blink of an eye! You're probably all taking down your decorations this week, but you may want to think twice friends. Apparently, leaving your Christmas lights up is actually good for your mental health. Who knew? According to Chicago environmental and design psychologist Dr Sally Augustin, the lights are good for your brain. She explained:  "We like to think we're so different from animals, but we are actually very responsive to our senses. "Developing on the savanna, where our current sensory systems developed, when we would see warm light, it was often a campfire at the end of the day, signalling cooking and positive experiences." She continued, saying: "When we experience warmer coloured lights, candlelight or light from warmer bulbs, it puts us in a more positive mood, which is great for getting along with others." So not only will you feel better, your relationships may also improve. What makes this all interesting is that it stems from the Scandinavian concept of Hygge. "Make sure there are lots of soft textures and cuddly warm blankets." "We have positive associations to soft warm, cuddly and flannel textures. These are all good things in our mind that boost our mood, and when we are in a better mood, we get along better." Yep, we'll be doing exactly that for the whole month.