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Exposure to sunshine decreases the risk of suicide, according to a new study.

The latest research linked more daily sunshine two weeks to two months prior to lower rates of suicide.

Researchers believe that this could be because light interacts with the brain's serotonin systems that are responsible for mood and impulsiveness, which can influence suicide risk.

The latest study analyzed 69,462 officially confirmed suicides in Austria between January 1970 and May 2010, and found a positive correlation between the number of suicides and hours of daily sunshine on the day of the suicide and up to 10 days before that seemed to facilitate suicide.

However, the findings revealed a negative correlation between the number of suicides and the hours of daily sunshine 14 to 60 days prior.  Researchers found that the positive correlation between daily sunshine hours and suicide rates was seen largely among women, while negative correlations between the short-term and long-term exposure to sunshine were mainly found among men.

"Owing to the correlative nature of the data, it is impossible to directly attribute the increase in suicide to sunshine during the 10 days prior to the suicide event. ... Further research is warranted to determine which patients with severe episodes of depression are more susceptible to the suicide-triggering effects of sunshine," researchers wrote in the study.

The findings were published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.