Overview

• Participants who reported feeling anxious on Mondays showed about 25% higher hair cortisol levels over two months compared with peers anxious on other days.
• The ‘anxious Monday’ effect appeared equally among working and retired adults, suggesting societal weekly rhythms drive chronic stress beyond job demands.
• Analysis of hair samples from more than 3,500 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing participants provided a stable marker of long-term cortisol exposure.
• Scientists pointed to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as a central mechanism linking Monday anxiety to persistent hormone elevations.
• Because the study’s observational design cannot establish causality, the team is planning follow-up research on resilience factors and targeted interventions to mitigate cardiovascular risks.