Although the official first day isn’t until September 21st, it seems as though as soon as September starts, people are ready for fall. Whether they’re breaking out their favorite sweaters or ordering their first PSL of the season! It’s clear that quite a few of us love fall so much and look forward to it each year.
I’m not sure about you guys, but one of my favorite fall activities is going apple picking. Something about being out in the orchards in the chilly weather really makes me feel at peace. I think we can all agree that there is just something so warm and inviting about the fall season. The reason I say this is because there is actually scientific reasoning behind why exactly we love fall!
Why Do We Love Fall?
According to a survey performed by YouGov, 29 percent of Americans have claimed that they prefer autumn weather to the other seasons.
Although it’s hard to believe, the love for fall comes with a social construct that is introduced to us as children. According to Kathryn Lively, a professor of Sociology over at Dartmouth College says “We’re conditioned from a very early age that the autumn comes with all of these exciting things…“As children, we come to associate fall with going back to school, new school supplies, seeing friends. It’s exciting, for most. We still respond to this pattern that we experienced for eighteen years.”
As a result of these continuous patterns that are associated with fall, these feelings begin to almost feel normal. And they are. These exciting things that come with fall are only part of the reason why we fall in love when the leaves change and when it’s time for hot chocolate.
Let’s admit it – there’s something amazing about fall for all ages. Whether you’re heading back to school or you love layering scarves over your favorite sweater. I guess you could say the changing leaves are representative of the feeling of the fresh start that comes along with the fall season.
Fall & The Meaning Behind It
According to Dr. Ben-Shahar Tal, a specialist in positive psychology says that the reason we love fall so much is not so much that it’s a happy season in general, but because of the meaning that we inject into it. As I listed before, fall is often associated with things such as hot pumpkin coffee, baking, and flannels. These things are “romanticized,” which correlates happy thoughts and are all the reasons why we love fall.
This also has been discussed by Dr. Kathryn Ariel Roecklein, a professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. She says “We also have memories of seasons, and those impact how we feel…think about how you’d feel if you really loved going back to school every fall? You’d look forward to that season due to fond memories in the past.”
I think most of us can agree that there are a lot of fun memories that come in the fall. I, for one, know that I get a little too excited when Starbucks announces that it’s time for seasonal drinks to return.
Fall & Motivation
If you’ve never heard of the term “temporal landmark” allow me to explain. It is simple – a temporal landmark is a point in time that we naturally think of as an opportunity for a fresh start. It shows that times such as birthdays, holidays, and other calendar occasions can boost our overall sense of motivation. And it’s actually one of the main reasons why most of us love fall.
The holidays and events that come along with fall are tough to beat. I mean come on, we get both the joys of dressing up for Halloween and stuffing ourselves on Thanksgiving. And it’s not just the holidays – the start of a new school year and a new season are also huge factors in associating temporal landmarks with the fall.
And did you know that research also shows that in many cases, warm weather can negatively impact our decision-making capabilities? Don’t lie – we all feel a little bit more fun and free during the summertime. The decrease in temperature allows us to think a little bit more clearly, relating back to a higher sense of motivation.
Cozy Up For Fall
At the end of the day, there is one more simple reason why we love fall. Lively also writes that we view fall as a comforting time. To sum it up, fall is an amazing time of year. It’s a time for romantic comedies with your friends, complete with cozy PJ’s and a warm fire!
As we’ve concluded and proven, fall is one of the best times of the year! There are so many amazing events and things to do like pumpkin and apple picking and chilly walks in the park. Although there is a science behind it, I’m sure we all and always will have a personal soft spot for the fall time.
