Science Friday

The Science Of Thriving In Winter—By Embracing It

December 25, 2025

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  • People in extremely cold and dark regions often have lower rates of seasonal affective disorder than those in milder climates because they adapt their behavior and adopt a different mindset toward winter. 
  • A positive wintertime mindset involves recognizing that objective winter qualities (cold, dark, wet) are ambiguous and can be reframed as refreshing, cozy, or magical, rather than inherently negative. 
  • Creating intentional, small seasonal rituals, like enjoying tea and the Hallmark channel or planting daffodils, helps transform potentially unpleasant aspects of winter into anticipated sensory pleasures or markers of approaching spring. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Context
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(00:01:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Dr. Kari Leibowitz researched how people thrive in the Arctic by adopting a positive wintertime mindset.
  • Summary: Host Flora Lichtman introduces the episode from Science Friday, focusing on Dr. Kari Leibowitz, who studied thriving in the coldest, darkest places on Earth. Dr. Leibowitz is the author of How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days. A key ingredient for thriving is adopting a positive wintertime mindset, focusing on the good parts of the season.
Guest’s Winter Transformation
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(00:02:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Dr. Leibowitz converted from a ‘winter hater’ after moving to Northern Norway for research on low winter depression rates.
  • Summary: Dr. Leibowitz grew up in a beach town culture that celebrated summer, leading her to struggle with winter. Her perspective changed after moving to Northern Norway to study how locals thrive despite months without sunrise. She learned lessons about embracing the season through cultural exposure and infrastructure built for winter.
Secrets to Thriving in Winter
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(00:05:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Thriving in extreme winters requires adapting behavior and avoiding the pretense that winter shouldn’t affect one’s routine.
  • Summary: Locations with extreme winters, like Norway and Iceland, often have lower rates of seasonal affective disorder than milder climates. A key secret is the willingness to adapt, acknowledging that fatigue is normal when the sun isn’t rising. In contrast, people in milder climates often try to maintain summer routines, which can be detrimental.
Listener Winter Strategies
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(00:06:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Nordic-inspired activities like saunas and cold plunges, alongside seasonal rituals, are effective listener coping mechanisms.
  • Summary: Listeners from the Upper Midwest shared strategies, including Finnish lifestyle elements like saunas, cold plunges, and Nordic skiing. Another listener shared the ritual of enjoying peppermint shakes or tea with the Hallmark channel, which provides small, comforting sensory pleasures tied to the season.
Seasonal Markers and Naming
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(00:10:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Planting daffodils in the fall provides a seasonal activity and creates a tangible marker for early spring, counteracting winter panic.
  • Summary: Planting daffodils in the fall gives people an activity during the shortening days and provides a marker for early spring. The Sami people of Northern Scandinavia utilize eight seasons, including ‘spring-winter,’ which helps mentally separate the late transition period from true winter or spring.
Defining Positive Winter Mindset
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(00:13:41)
  • Key Takeaway: The positive wintertime mindset is a core assumption that reframes the ambiguous qualities of cold and dark as potentially rejuvenating or cozy.
  • Summary: A mindset is a core assumption about how something works; winter’s objective qualities (dark, cold) have ambiguous meaning. This mindset can be trained, allowing one to experience cold as refreshing rather than negative, similar to how stress can be viewed as helpful for performance. Listeners like Cody, who ‘soaks up’ overcast weather, exemplify this positive framing.
SAD vs. Normal Winter Response
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(00:16:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subtype of clinical depression requiring severe disruption to functioning, unlike normal tiredness from light changes.
  • Summary: Seasonal Affective Disorder meets the criteria for clinical depression and severely disrupts daily functioning. Many people experience normal responses to seasonal light changes, such as increased tiredness or reduced energy, which should not automatically be pathologized as winter depression. Other living things slow down in winter, suggesting adaptation is natural.