Turns out Christmas music is bad for your mental health

Sweet baby Jesus.

There are only a few things we can be certain of in this world. One, Beyoncé is immortal. Two, owning a cat is the easiest way to become Youtube famous. Three, anyone who has ever worked in retail hates Christmas. And the latter now has the opinion of experts to back it up.

It turns out Christmas music is slowly driving us crazy and retail assistants are on the front line.

Psychologists believe that listening to an excessive amount of Yuletide tunes causes mental strain. It’s a term called “mere exposure effect,” which basically means the first time you hear Mariah belting out ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, you actually do get into the festive mood. But, once you hear it on repeat in every store you go to, it starts to become maddening.

“People working in the shops at Christmas have to [tune out] Christmas music, because if they don’t, it really does stop you from being able to focus on anything else,” clinical psychologist, Linda Blair, told Sky News.

“You’re simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing.”

Though, if you think this news will change anything, think again. Apparently, there’s more to gain from Christmas carols than simply spreading the cheer around.

In fact, research shows that shopping behaviours are dependent on environmental factors such as music, atmosphere and scent. In short, the right balance of Christmas songs can encourage shoppers to stay longer, and spend more.

If you’re a bit of a Grinch, you may want to carry a pair of ear muffs when you decide to hit the shops.