The idea that our mental life is more sluggish in winter is apparently seductive. This article reviews the evidence for the claim that there is a seasonal cycle in human cognition. Several methodologies have been used with participants such as over-wintering scientists in Antarctica, residents of polar regions, and patients with seasonal psychopathology and there is no clear tendency for cognition to be impaired in winter. Some large-scale public health studies report seasonality of cognition but are inconsistent regarding when in the year there is a peak and trough. Claims that human cognition has an annual cycle should be regarded as speculative and the burden of proof must be borne by anyone inclined to claim that such a cycle exists. An analysis of the influence of some key studies shows that their results are misleadingly cited and that there is resistance to the null conclusion.

认为我们的精神生活在冬天更加缓慢的想法显然很诱人。本文回顾了人类认知存在季节性周期这一说法的证据。参与者已经使用了几种方法，例如南极洲的越冬科学家，极地居民和季节性心理病理学患者，并且冬天没有明显的认知能力受损的趋势。一些大规模的公共卫生研究报告了认知的季节性，但是在一年中什么时候出现高峰和低谷时并不一致。主张人类认知具有年度循环的主张应被认为是推测性的，举证责任必须由倾向于声称存在这种循环的任何人承担。