Women Are In A Bad Mood For '10 Days A Year': But Isn't Everyone?

Was it with trepidation you clicked this headline?

What could possibly be putting the females of the species in a grump for 10 days a year, the miserable cows?

What cliché revelation might it be? It's probably those bloody men putting us in a bad mood, isn't it? Standard. Or what about our pesky periods? Maybe it's because, we simple creatures, just can't find anything nice to wear.

Research by Healthspan aimed to discover what puts us (all, male and female) in a bad mood, but analysis of its results seems to be solely constructed to make women look petty, despite the fact that most of the things that put us in bad moods are universal irritations that bring men down too.

Self-reported moodiness was higher among women, but as they tend to be more in-tune with their emotions, and more susceptible to feeling guilty about how their mood might affect others, it's hardly surprising that they're more likely to put themselves down.

The things that make women feel bad are pretty obvious:

Being overweight
Partner not listening
Feeling under the weather
The weather being bad
Not having enough money
Technology failing
Feeling undervalued
Not getting enough help
Periods (OF COURSE)
PMT
Having nothing to wear (NO WAY)
Having a bad hair day
Having to keep up with the housework and laundry
Being bored of their life
Having a heavy workload
Bad traffic
Colleagues not pulling their weight
Being hungry
Children not listening to them
Public transport failing
Hating their job
Waking up with a spot
Not knowing what to cook for dinner
Pressure from the boss at work
There being nothing good on TV
Ungrateful children
There not being hot water for the shower
Friends' annoying Facebook updates
Menopause
Colleagues being late for work
No one offering to make you a cup of tea

And there it is, last of all, breaking a nail.

Gawd, by the time we get to the end of the list we're feeling pretty grumpy too.

It all seems a bit too simplistic for us to get on board with. And it's hardly surprising that women report being in a bad mood for at least five hours a week. Things might be changing (slowly) but in the majority of families women still bear the brunt of childcare and housework while at the same time being just as likely to be holding down a demanding job and all that it entails.

Plus we're judged so much more on our appearance that something as trivial as not being able to find something to wear, or feeling overweight is going to seriously affect the impression we make and our own confidence - something men, hiding in their roomy, standard-issue suits can almost entirely avoid.

But judging from the list, the biggest reason overall is that we just have so much to do and so many people relying on us that we need to give ourselves a break. Trying to have it all, and doing our best to please them all is a thankless task... so there's the under-appreciated box getting ticked.

They survey also found that most women felt better just by having a bit of time to themselves, but men relied more heavily on their partners to cheer them up. Great - another thing we've got to do.

Of course there are some gender-specific issues that women will struggle with that men are blissfully excused from. Hormones do play a big role in our moods and crippling period pain really is going to dent your mood from time to time.

Men reported their moods worsening with age, as they go through the 'manopause' where testosterone levels dip. But maybe if we redoubled our efforts to share responsibilities in and out of the workplace, supported each other at difficult times hormonally (for both sexes) and gave ourselves a break once in a we might feel better.

But to be honest, feeling down is a natural part of our mood cycle and 10 days out of 365 doesn't seem like such bad odds. Perhaps we should just embrace the days we have steam coming out of our ears.

On the other hand, if you're regularly feeling small daily inconveniences are getting to you more than they should be, it might be time to have a look at what the real issues behind your low mood are - anything from vitamin D deficiency, to lack of communication in your relationship. And get them sorted, so when you break a nail it doesn't ruin your day.