It's long, it's dark, it's cold. Our wallets have a nasty hangover. Christmas seems like a lost world. And, to top it all, Monday 26th is the day of the year when most credit card bills slither through the nation's letterboxes. Oh dear, January can be a harsh month for Britons.

So, in time-honoured fashion, many residents of Yorkshire and Humberside are girding up their loins, determined to beat the January blues. Only, something different is happening this year.

According to a survey by social networking group Badoo, dieting, exercise and physical punishment are now out, and socialising, shopping for bargains and making new friends are in when we strive to shake off winter sluggishness .

Badoo asked thousands of people in the UK what they're doing to beat the January blues, and only 1 in 10 planned to embark on a detox diet, while just a third of respondents said they were starting exercise classes or taking up a new sport.

Overall, some 67% of people in the region will do something this month to keep their spirits up, and nationwide, 68% of respondents admitted they will take part in some sort of activity to combat the blues this month.

But it's just how we do the spirit lifting that's changed so greatly: this year's trend, and a much more popular way of cheering oneself up, was to start a new hobby or interest, according to 46% of those surveyed. Socialising came high on the list, with 43% of Britons proposing to go out as much as usual or even more. And, not to leave the old British standby on the shelf, around 30% of respondents across the UK will cheer themselves up with a little retail therapy - though well armed with all the voucher codes, offers and promotions they can muster to soften the blow.

Interestingly though, other regions showed a greater resolve in facing their winter spirit slump than we have in Yorkshire. Southampton with 76% of respondents resolved to do something active, Manchester with 74%, Oxford and Hull (72%) and Brighton (71%) all showed greater desire to actively beat the blues.