This story was provided by MyHealthNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Pass it on: Hot weather tests our tempers, leading to increases in aggression and violence, studies have shown. A study done by Sydney’s Joseph Forgas shows that sunshine can also have an impact on our mental sharpness. 'The average person can withstand this, if they listen to their body,' Molitor said. Sunny days and moods Research on weather and mood showed that sunlight has been found to positively affect moods, dampen negative moods and mitigate tiredness. In addition, focus on aspects of your life you can control, Molitor said, and realize that eventually, it will cool down. If you take mediations that are diuretics, such as blood pressure medications, you will need to drink even more that usual to stay hydrated, Molitor said.

If you're healthy and want to exercise, try to get in your workout in the morning or evening, rather than the middle of the day. Molitor urged that people practice common sense in the heat: stay hydrated, and listen to your body.

Molitor said she suspects that prolonged periods of heat and humidity, as many regions have experienced this summer, may lead to an increase in cases of summer SAD seen by doctors. Darker days can make you feel depressed: Less sunlight can affect your bodys internal clock, which can make you feeling depressed (thats where SAD comes in). For them, the heat and sunshine are 'almost impossible to endure,' she said. On top of feeling uncomfortable and depressed, people with this condition feel enormously anxious in the summertime, and can even become suicidal, Molitor said. While it's common to feel a little depressed or grouchy in the summer heat, a small percentage (about 1 or 2 percent) of people experience a summer version of seasonal affect disorder (SAD). 'Everyone's fuse is going to be a little bit shorter,' Molitor said. Several studies have looked at correlations between the weather and our mood, and atmospheric pressure appears to have the smallest influence. And whether you're at the office or on the road, recognize that people you deal with may also be a bit testy. If they do, it must be a very subtle effect.

Does weather affect mood