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Bigvits.co.uk 2025 Wellbeing Research

EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01AM GMT, MONDAY 20 JANUARY 2025

Blue Monday: New research reveals Britain's saddest cities

New data from Bigvits.co.uk shows Google searches for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) hit 15.6 million in 2024, with 23% of Brits looking online for SAD advice.

Meanwhile, a further 11.9 million of us are turning to Google for meditation and mindfulness tips.

Bristol tops the list for searches about Seasonal Affective Disorder (460,200 searches) showing residents there are keen to tackle the Winter blues. In contrast, Newcastle has some of the lowest search levels (312,600), relative to its population.

‘Self Care Sunday’ searches grew by 900% in 2024, reaching 5,000 monthly as more people embrace the trend. Experts say this is a positive step, as more of us are seeking help to stay upbeat during darker months. For the last five years, the data from the family run online wellbeing company shows that SAD searches consistently peak in November and again in January.

Source Bigvits.co.uk Google Trends (1).png

Key Findings - Bigvits.co.uk Wellbeing research

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): More than 15.6 million annual Google searches in the UK, with peaks in November and January.

Britain's saddest and happiest cities revealed; Bristol the ‘saddest’ and Greater Manchester the 'happiest' (with the least searches for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)) for its population.

Proactively Seeking Calm: Brits made 11.98 million searches for mindfulness and meditation, showing our proactive approach to mental health.

Bigvits.co.uk’s new well-being snapshot takes a closer look at search habits around the country - shedding light on which regions seem most curious (or concerned) about the Winter blues.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) searches by country


Approx. Population

Annual Seasonal Affective Disorder Related Searches

% of Population Searching

England

56.0M

11.8M

21.10%

Northern Ireland

1.9M

559,200

29.40%

Scotland

5.5M

1.25M

22.70%

Wales

3.2M

667,800

20.9%

UK (Total)

67.0M

15.6M

23.30%

Northern Ireland shows the highest proportion of SAD searches relative to its population, with 29% of residents (by population) looking for SAD information online.

England and Scotland follow, with roughly 21% and 23% respectively, whilst Wales reports a smaller proportion at about 20.9%.

“It’s obvious from our research that seasonal sadness is a key factor in many Brits’ well-being concerns,” says Dr. Shane Thurlow, PhD and Nutritional Scientist at Bigvits.co.uk.

“Quality sleep, balanced nutrition, and time in nature can help ease Blue Monday’s impact. Small, steady steps toward wellbeing bring huge rewards.”

He adds: “Despite interest in SAD, the spike in mindfulness, meditation, and ‘Self Care Sunday’ searches in our research reflect a push towards proactive mental health”.

City Searches for Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD per 1,000 (Highest to Lowest)



City

Google Yearly Search Volume

Population

Searches per 1,000 people

% of Population

1

Bristol

460,200

467,099

985

98.50%

2

York

177,600

198,051

898

89.80%

3

Edinburgh

447,600

527,620

848

84.80%

4

Brighton & Hove

226,800

277,103

818

81.80%

5

Hull

204,600

267,100

766

76.60%

6

Glasgow

477,000

635,640

750

75.00%

7

Belfast

244,200

345,418

707

70.70%

8

Birmingham

2,775,600

4,300,000

645

64.50%

9

Cardiff

237,000

372,089

637

63.70%

10

Leeds

450,000

822,483

547

54.70%

11

Sheffield

301,200

556,521

541

54.10%

12

Nottingham

171,000

323,632

528

52.80%

13

Liverpool

433,200

917,032

472

47.20%

14

London

3,355,800

8,799,800

381

38.10%

15

Newcastle

312,600

823,000

380

38.00%

16

Greater Manchester

513,000

2,900,000

177

17.70%

N.B. Google figures indicative: high numbers per population may mean the same people searching multiple times or non-residents searching in a place. These findings are based on search behaviour and do not constitute medical evidence.

For more information, images, or interviews, please contact: Rachel Clark: rachel@onlythekind.com / 07557 400 973

Notes to Editors:

Data Sources: 2024/2025 Google search volumes analysed by Bigvits.co.uk using Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends.

About Bigvits: Bigvits.co.uk is a UK-based, family-owned business passionate about health and wellbeing. Bigvits.co.uk delivers high quality, trusted vitamins and supplements to over 400,000 customers.

For a limited time, Bigvits is offering a FREE nutrition consultation to members of the media. Please book and quote 'Media' at bigvits.co.uk

About Dr Shane Thurlow PhD: Dr Shane is a Nutritional Scientist with a focus on researching and explaining the science behind nutrition, health, and wellness in the UK.

About Blue Monday: Blue Monday, commonly falling on the third Monday of January, has gained notoriety as the UK’s most depressing day. While its origins stem from a marketing campaign, the date still serves as a reminder that the post-holiday slump can affect our well-being.

For anyone seeking support with their mental wellbeing, resources like Mind, Samaritans (https://www.samaritans.org/ / 116 123), and NHS helplines offer free, confidential guidance and help.

Ends

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