Kari Leibowitz

Can 'wintertime mindset' strategies make us happier during the coldest, darkest months of the year? We talk to American health psychologist Kari Leibowitz, who has seen a new wave of interest in her work since the COVID-19 lockdown.

Show Notes

How come one of the coldest, darkest places in the world has relatively low rates of wintertime depression? Health psychologist Kari Leibowitz spent a year investigating this as a Fulbright Scholar in Tromsø, Norway, which is so far north that it experiences a “Polar Night,” the time from November to January when the sun never rises. Kari has gone on to develop ‘wintertime mindset’ strategies to help people get through the long dark months of winter, and has seen a new surge of interest in her work following the COVID-19 lockdown. As well as looking for a few wintertime mindset tips, we ask Kari what darkness means to her. The episode is hosted by Hebridean Dark Skies Festival programmer Andrew Eaton-Lewis.  The sound was mixed by Hamish Brown. Campfire Conversations is presented in association with The Scotsman. To find out more about the Hebridean Dark Skies Festival, visit www.lanntair.com/darkskies.

What is Hebridean Dark Skies Festival podcast?

The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival presents a series of interviews with fascinating people from the worlds of astronomy, psychology, and the arts, exploring our festival themes of winter, darkness and the night sky. The podcasts are presented by festival director Andrew Eaton-Lewis, with sound mixed by Hamish Brown.

The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival is an ambitious annual programme of events taking place each February on the Isle of Lewis, including live music, film, visual art, theatre, astronomy talks, and stargazing. To find out more visit www.lanntair.com/darkskies.

The festival is led by An Lanntair arts centre in Stornoway in partnership with Stornoway Astronomical Society, Calanais Visitor Centre, Gallan Head Community Trust, and Lews Castle College UHI. The festival is supported by Caledonian MacBrayne, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Culture & Business Fund. For its first three years it was part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Outer Hebrides Leader 2014-2020 programme.