It has long been thought that negative ions provide us with many health benefits, so it should come as no surprise to learn that bad things happen when we breath air with a high density of positive ions.
It has been measured that, before a storm the positive ion concentration becomes more than three times than that of negative ions.
The advice is, if the barometer is falling, then brace yourself.
Adults, children, and animals all react testily to such bad weather, for ahead is the kind of day that may leave you prone to illness, accident, stupid mistakes, and the irrational blowing off steam.
Old wives tales used to blame the full moon on all sorts of madness and maladies, but you may be surprised to learn that, the full moon has been scientifically proven to increase the ratio of positive ions in the atmosphere.
Maybe its not so hard to scoff at the fact that strange and aggressive behavior noted by police and medical services almost always significantly increases around the time of a full moon.
Its those positive ions again.
Scientific studies have shown that 75% of the population is noticeably affected by positive ion ratios, while increased negative ion rations, on the other hand, have a calming influence on the same people.
Positively ionised air seems to create a range of increased physical discomforts ranging from headaches and nausea to the familiar rheumatic twinges that precede storms.
It has even been noted that infection rates increase among medical patients while, at the same time the healing rate of wounds has been shown to slow down.
Conversely, when the weather is quite comfortable - and hence negative ions are in greater supply - people tend to feel better, more relaxed and genrally healthier.
By comparison, on hit, humid days when the positive ion index is soaring all manner of crime starts to take place, and incidences of psychopathic and psychotic behaviour rise dramatically.