Have you ever wondered why so many people’s favorite season is fall? It’s not just because of the popular pumpkin spice lattes, sweater weather, and cozy decorations- there are real psychological and environmental reasons behind why fall feels so comforting.
Emotionally, fall is associated with new beginnings. The new school year, traditions, and the comfort of fall give people a sense of a fresh start, or what psychologists like to call ‘temporal landmarks’. Moments that create structure for how we see and use time.
“As young kids, we learned that the fall is filled with new people, places, and opportunities…That association stays with us into adulthood, there is a feeling of excitement and promise in the air.” said Ronit Levy, a doctor of psychology in an interview with VeryWellMind.
Beyond that feeling of turning over a new leaf in fall, the soft lighting, changing colors, and the scents all calm the human brain by connecting it to happy memories. Smells like cinnamon, leaves, coffee, and cooler air trigger positive emotions and memories in many people, activating and releasing feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
“I love when the leaves turn orange and when people start selling pumpkin spice things,” says Avery Buchanan, a sophomore at Truckee High.
Lower temperatures are another reason people tend to favor fall over the other seasons. When the temperature drops, the brain works better in cooler weather, and many people feel more comfortable and focused.
According to a study by the University of California, Berkeley, “People’s happiness declines as temperatures rise above 70 degrees Fahrenheit or fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.”
The cooler temperatures also encourage more outdoor activity, which can sometimes be hard to do in the hot summer months. Increased outdoor activities elevate the oxygen levels in our brains, enabling us to think clearer, calmer, and happier.
“One of the reasons I love fall is because of the diversity of the weather and the vibe,” says Molina Mansfield, another sophomore at Truckee High.
Research has also shown that daylight savings time and shorter days often contribute to the fall mood. Along with those cravings for warm feelings, shorter days make it easier for people to get better sleep during this time of the year, with around seven to nine hours of real, optimal sleep.
“As autumn progresses, our days shorten, leading to earlier sunsets. This earlier onset of darkness can trigger the body to produce melatonin sooner, nudging us towards feeling sleepy earlier in the evening.” says an article from EmpowerSleep.
When everybody sleeps a little more, the environment changes beautifully and many are excited by the spirit of fall, as the atmosphere of life changes and people’s moods become calmer and happier.
In many places, the moderate temperatures of fall also bring more visual and euphoric effects. Through falling leaves and festive decor, shades of warm colors like red and orange bring about feelings of comfort, cheerfulness, warmth, and nostalgia. Drawing many people to the cozy, romantic, and optimistic feelings that characterize fall.
Between the colors, the smells, and the ‘sweater weather’, many people get a rewarding emotional response from the sensations of fall that give feel-good thoughts. Fall isn’t just a vibe, it’s also nature synching with happy and content human emotions, giving us a season of both joyous and sentimental feelings before winter hits.
