Happy Monday: January 31 is the happiest day of the year

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It was Blue Monday just two weeks ago - the day when our spirits are at their lowest because of post-Christmas debt and limited daylight - and you may think little has improved since then.But the combination of getting the first pay cheque of the year and bookingyour summer holiday make today the highpoint of the year, according toresearch by Manchester University.

Light at the end of the tunnel:Two weeks after Blue Monday, the day when our spirits are at their lowest because of post-Christmas debt and limited daylight, comes Happy MondayWe each experience an average of ten major happy days every year but none is happier than January 31, or Happy Monday, said Dr David Holmes, senior psychologist at Manchester Metropolitan University.

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We all go into work on that Monday - January 31 - with renewed vigour, buoyed by the excitement of having money in the bank again and having one of the major family events of the year - the annual summer holiday - to look forward to.

Something to look forward to: Psychologists say booking your summer holiday is one of the things that will make today the highpoint of the yearThe last weekend in January was the busiest on record for the travel industry in 2010.Holiday firm Thomson Al Fresco saw a 56 per cent increase in bookings year on year, and said they were expecting even brisker trade this year than last.