Research suggests today, Blue Monday, is the most depressing day of the year

Today is apparently the most depressing day of the year.

Research has found more than a quarter of people will be feeling down in the dumps on so-called "Blue Monday".

Psychologists blame things like the gloomy weather and post-Christmas debts.

January 18 has been dubbed Blue Monday, following reports that it is the date on which the population is at its most melancholy.

It has previously been suggested it is the time of year when the weather is worst, debt levels highest and the post-Christmas malaise still omnipresent.

New research by the Co-op in England found that January is when people are at their loneliest, with 26% claiming it is the month they feel the most isolated.

On top of this, 87% of the population in England also feel the weather has a direct influence on their mood, according to a poll from LeoVegas.com.

But it might not just be the gloomy skies bringing the country down, as the data also suggests two-thirds (61%) of people feel depressed on their way to work.

Manchester and Leeds topped its list of the places which suffer worst from the January blues.