NORFOLK, Va. — This time of year, there is one thing that draws strong opinions from a lot of people: how early is too early to decorate for the holidays?
Some people say you should wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate, some say wait until December, and some say both of those are too late... start even earlier!
But because of the pandemic this year, people may be taking it easier on the early-decorators who may need a pick-me-up more than ever. And there may be scientific evidence that could help us see eye to eye from here on out.
Danish researchers wanted to detect and localize the Christmas spirit in the human brain. They showed volunteers two sets of images, one of them with a holiday theme.
What they found was significant, positive increases in brain activity when participants looked at the holiday images.
Some physicians believe the activity could be even more intense when you look at holiday decorations in person in your neighborhood.
But the takeaway is this: instead of getting frustrated the next time you pass by holiday decorations in the middle of November, think about how those decorations could be helping the person who set them up first.