Yes, The Change In Seasons Really Does Affect Your Mood

The leaves are starting to change, the days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping and the pumpkin spice euphoria of early September is starting to wear off. If you find yourself feeling a little less cheerful than you were during spring’s transformation into summer, rest assured it’s not your imagination: There is a science-backed reason you’re more likely to feel down in the cooler months. “It’s real,” Kathryn A. Roecklein, an associate professor in the department of psychology at University of Pittsburgh, told The Huffington Post.  The changes don’t necessarily affect everyone the same way, Roecklein added. But seasonal mood shifts often include less energy, feeling less social, losing interest in favorite activities, having cravings for carbs and changes in sleep ― either having trouble sleeping or wanting to sleep more than usual. Scientists know there are a lot of biological and physiological reasons our moods tend to change with the season, Roecklein said. But a big factor in those seasonal mood swings is light. “The scientific evidence says that length of day, which is shorter in the winter and longest in the summer, is the main seasonal variable that affects mood,” she said. And since those sunsets are well on their way to getting earlier and earlier as soon as fall begins, it’s not unusual if you start to feel those mood shifts around the same time. Your body knows when the sun ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news