Asked by: Mary Dennis, Bournemouth
There is a psychological link: people who claim the weather affects their joints do feel more pain than those who don’t make these claims. If weather sensitivity was a purely physical phenomenon, then people would be affected whether they believed that the variability was related to the weather or not.
But a 2007 study also found that every 10°C drop in temperature resulted in worse arthritis pain. This may be because cold weather causes changes in the fluid that lubricates each joint.
Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.