September 21, 2022
Why Fall Vibes Are Good Vibes
Are you obsessed with Fall?
For a lot of us, Fall is actually the most magical time of the year. As summer comes to an end the air starts to get crisper and the weather less stifling. We’re beginning to witness the emergence of stunning hues of red, orange and yellow. There's something unique and exciting in the autumnal atmosphere and it's noticeable. This palpable Fall vibe seems to make this particular season an obsession.
So what is it about the Fall season that makes it so special? What's this Fall vibe all about?
VIBE
/vīb/
Noun: A person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.
Fall Vibe #1: Fresh Start Effect
The transition to Fall can do wonders for your motivation. It’s the season we are socially conditioned to associate with back-to-school and back to routine. For many of us, this feeling of a fresh start continues long after we’ve left our school hallways and started adulting.
Why does back-to-school feel like a fresh start even when we're not in school anymore?
The back-to-school, unofficial launch to Fall, is a recognized temporal landmark (a moment that influences how we see and use time). The Atlantic explains a number of reasons, from biology to nostalgia, as to why the arrival of Fall and the start of classes feels like the real new year. Even though January 1 is the calendar date for the official New Year, the number of years in this back-to-school rhythm shapes the way people experience what the “beginning” and “end” of a year is. After a laissez-faire, less organized summer, there is a palpable comfort in resuming everyday routines and schedules that make people happy and feels fresh and new.
As a result, when that back-to-school fever hits, it still signals to us, long after our school days are over, that Fall is just around the corner. And full of the kind of opportunity a fresh start and back to routine offers. It’s that sense of anticipation and feeling of excitement around getting organized and acquiring new stuff (remember that trusty, much-loved school year planner!!!) that continues to motivate us.
For those of us who still love what a new year mindset offers, it makes absolute sense that we love this time of year. You can feel a special energy that ignites new goals and feeds a renewed sense of ambition. It's a fresh start vibe that we embrace enthusiastically.
Fall Vibe #2: Fresh Weather
The other side of Fall’s fresh start feeling is the weather. It’s just literally more fresh. The change of the season can be felt in the air and with the first Fall breeze. Temperatures are beginning to cool and the seasonal transition is feeling invigorating and refreshing.
According to this survey of 2000 Americans, 56% reported they were happiest in the Fall compared to other seasons. At the top of the list for reasons why, was the beautiful foliage at 51% (we’ll discuss this in Fall Vibe #3) and the chill in the air at 45%. Additionally, the findings from this survey revealed that the perfect Fall temp is 53°F and that the best time to enjoy Fall at its peak is the first two weeks of October. In another vote of confidence for October, a national YouGov survey of 15,000 Americans ranked October as the most favorite month of year (followed by December).
Further, there is more research that suggests your brain functions better when it’s not overheating. According to Scientific American, cooler temperatures enable more clarity of thinking vs the summer fogginess associated with hotter temperatures. It’s a feeling we can probably anecdotally confirm. We definitely appreciate the impact of a cool breeze to wake up our brain!
Is there an ideal temperature?
For a little more embellishment on temperatures (and because we were curious), a working research paper suggests that people’s happiness declines as temperatures rise above 70° or fall below 50°. But the decline in happiness is stronger as weather gets hotter. Temperatures in the 70s make people noticeably happier than when they are in the 80s.
Cooler temps are palpable and a relief overall when you're transitioning from the height of summer heat to the Fall season. It reinforces the fresh, crisp vibe which seems to help energize us. The cooler weather also encourages us to spend more time outdoors.
Fall Vibe #3: Nature’s Colorful Energy
From a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of positive health and wellness benefits. During the Fall season, embracing nature seems even more enticing and desirable with beautiful technicolor trees and landscapes. The shift from summer to fall is more dramatic and likely intensifies what we notice and feel compared to the more gradual transition from the green of spring to the floral beauty of summer.
Why is nature at this time of year so special?
Fall is regarded as nature’s most beautiful season. Awash in dramatic displays of reds, oranges, yellows and greens, you cannot help but notice Fall’s stunning resplendence. The incredible landscapes and vibrant colors emit an energy that make you want to spend more time outside. During this time of the year, nature is at its most colourful, beautiful and inspiring self and seems to telegraph that the best place to be is outdoors.
Do Fall colors impact our mood?
It should come as no surprise that Fall colors themselves are a major contributor to the palpable Fall vibe. As discussed in Psychology Today, strong visual contrast, saturation and brightness are perceived as pleasing and exciting. Fall’s dramatic and vivid color palette in the tones and hues specific to this particular time of the year deliver exactly that.
The rich hues and tones of red, orange, yellow and green that dominate this time of the year are overwhelmingly good. The vibrant, deep colors bring about feelings of warmth and richness while also combining to emit an energy that, to many of us, is simply irresistible.
Nature’s effect at this time of the year motivates us to spend time outside and immerse ourselves in its well documented health and well-being benefits. We know that being in nature is good for us so we make the effort. And the Fall season’s invitation to be outdoors, the palpable vibe we feel, seems even more irresistible.
Embracing Fall Vibes
If you’re obsessed with Fall, keep going! Fall vibes are definitely good vibes from the fresh start effect, to clearer brains, to all the benefits of nature you likely already cherish. Embracing Fall vibes and connecting with nature at this time of the year, makes so many of us feel good, positive and more motivated. It's no wonder we're slightly obsessed.
Happy Fall to all!
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