Can SAD Lamps Make You Happy?

I am not a licensed psychiatrist, so I am not going to weigh in on whether Seasonal Affective Disorder is a legitimate mood disorder, as opposed to a normal human response to a change in seasons. But I will say that whoever named it obviously thought it was a joke – there is no way you can tall someone you are “SAD” and expect the sympathy that traditionally accompanies revelations of mental illness.

Whether you actually suffer from clinical depression or just would prefer more sunlit hours in a day, now is the time of year the winter blues are starting to kick in. And one would expect it to be worse than ever in 2020, with the amount of fresh air and sunlight you can get proscribed by COVID-19 regulations.

In theory, SAD lamps can help. Contrary to their name, SAD lamps are not designed to bring you further down into the dumps but instead to make you happy. Maybe they should call them HAPPY lamps. I’ll let the professionals to come up with some appropriate backronym for that like they obviously did with Season Affective Disorder all those years ago.

SAD lamps are useful for so-called “light therapy.” Again, I’m not a doctor, so I do not know exactly how they work, besides the crucial fact that they are meant to mimic daylight while filtering out UV rays. Putting one in your home can help you combat the effects of earlier and earlier sunsets, and maybe even trick your brain into thinking you live in Florida. SAD lamps aren’t very expensive, so if your mood ever starts to sag (especially going into the holidays without being surrounded by family), you might as well give it a go.

TaoTronics Light Therapy Lamp, Ultra-Thin UV-Free 10000 Lux Therapy Light, Timer Function, Adjustable Brightness Levels, Memory Function, 90° Rotatable Stand for a Happy Life — $32.99

When choosing a SAD lamp, you’d do well to consider this one from TaoTronics, whose SoundLiberty 53 earbuds we reviewed on this website (back when they were called the TT-53) along with their TT-060 over-ear headphones. Although we tend to think of TaoTronics as an audio company, the Sunvalley group’s flagship brand sells a host of other home electronics as well, including space heaters and HEPA air purifiers.