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Spring Fever Unites Science And Romance

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Spring fever has been a central theme in love poems and stories for centuries. Webster’s dictionary defines spring fever as: “The laziness or restlessness that many people feel during the first warm and sunny days of spring”. There is no doubt that those first few weeks of warm weather improve our mood and boost our creativity while our winter-weary bodies literally rejoice in the warmth and the light. After the spring equinox, the population as a whole starts to report a higher energy level, decreased sleep, reduced eating and less depression.

While wine is one of the great and civilized pleasures of the world, a symbol of friendship, good living and romance, doctors are wary of encouraging people to drink wine because too much alcohol can bring with it a host of harmful effects. In spite of this caution, doctors do agree that red wine appears to contain an abundance of this amazing substance.

Although it seems a bit unromantic to suggest that something as poetic as spring fever is actually rooted in scientific and medical data, the truth is that biology plays a role. Spring fever is a physiological and psychological shift in the body’s response to changing seasons. As natural light increases the retina sends a signal to our brains that creates positive hormonal changes. Our melatonin levels drop, which elevates our mood and gives us more energy. At the same time the mood-elevating chemical serotonin rises. People who suffer from seasonal affective disorder may become downright giddy as the days become brighter and longer.

Anthropologists have suggested that spring fever may have developed over the course of human evolution. They point out that early humans often spent winter in a state of near-hibernation. Then, when spring arrived, they would enter an active period of intense hunting, gathering and procreating. (Perhaps that explains why many of us “evolved” humans turn into couch potatoes during the dark cold days of winter.)

Poets and scientists are in agreement that “a young man’s fancy turns to love” in the spring. Research shows that mammals follow a seasonal pattern, one that promotes survival. Warm sunshine on our skin and the sensual smells of spring flowers bring out the romantic in all of us.

Children are susceptible to the mania of spring fever, as any teacher can tell you. The sunshine becomes a powerful magnet and they are likely to squirm in their desks until recess when they can go outside and play.

So what’s the best way to cope with spring fever? Enjoy it! Look at spring as a time of rebirth. Do some mental and emotional “spring cleaning” and get rid of psychological baggage that has been weighing you down. Honor the return of the sun and soak up the healing light provided by Mother Nature.