Photo credit: Taken by Anita Martinz under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
It is springtime once again. This is the time of the year when we feel the lingering sunshine hitting our bare skin. Most people see spring as a season for change. It brings joy and optimism. However, there are also those who all of a sudden feel less productive. They feel like they don’t want to do anything. Why does this mood change happen as spring strikes? Is spring fever really caused by weather change?
Scientific Studies about Spring Fever
Questions about the relationship of moods and behaviors in line with weather changes have been boggling researchers for several years now. In fact, despite the number of studies that have been conducted, it is believed that only the surface has been scratched so far. There are a lot of things yet to discover.
According to Dr. Sanford Auerdach, during spring, there is more daylight. This means that people have more energy. As a result, they sleep less. These changes impact people in different ways. There are those who want to do more since they have more energy. They are in a good mood throughout the day. There are also those who are negatively affected due to the lack of sleep. The extended daylight doesn’t help them to feel comfortable at all. In fact, sunlight makes the brain busier. It keeps on processing the light given off by the sun. The increase in sunshine tells the body to produce less melatonin. This is a hormone that helps us fall asleep faster.
Other Effects of Spring
Aside from the fact that less melatonin is being pumped up make us feel deprived from sleep it also has other effects. One of the effects is that it helps lift our mood. It makes us be more energized. This is why many people do more during the day. They can even do more during the night when normally they don’t. Speaking of doing things at night, decreased melatonin is also the reason for pumped-up sex drive. This is why most people feel like spring is a very romantic season.
As a result of having great sex, people become happier. This will once again turn into something positive when they start using their happiness to be more productive. Another effect of extended daylight is that people tend to exercise more. There are those who wish to exercise early mornings or in the afternoon. Due to extended daylight, people have the urge to exercise more. We all know what the positive effects of exercising are.
Sadly, for some people, spring can be very depressing. The season is usually considered a sign of hope. People look forward to a brighter future. However, there are those who have unfinished business in the past. This change just makes them feel even worse. They are held back because of something that they are yet to accomplish. Thus, they end up being depressed.
These are just a few of the possible reasons why spring fever happens. The point is that spring can either be a positive or a negative change depending on how one person perceives it.