Imagine, it’s an early spring morning. Stepping outside, the crisp breeze hits and the comforting warmth of the sun above shines down. Feeling like a warm blanket covering the body. But this is more than just a feeling. Sunlight does much more than just brighten a day physically. It’s been found that sunshine has the actual ability to improve one’s emotional well-being.
On Sunday, March 9th, the United States experienced daylight savings. Which set our clocks forward one hour. This means citizens lose an hour of sleep, but it also means gaining an hour of sunlight at day’s end because the sun sets an hour later.
The student body is excited about this change, including junior Leila Vereecken, who notices some changes in her behavior when we spring forward.
“I get a lot more stuff done and I’m just overall a happier person,” Vereecken said. “It’s so much more motivating in the spring to have the sunshine out and the better weather.”
The warm weather seems to instantly make everything seem a lot better. productivity and motivation increases, and generally speaking, students find themselves in a better mood. Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology and regular Psychology teacher Kaley Obney tells us more information about how this is due to a chemical reaction in your brain.
“Warm weather does increase your serotonin and dopamine; they are just your feel-good neurotransmitters,” Obney said. “So that’s why we feel better when the sun is out because it makes us feel more upbeat, happy, energized and in a better mood.”
According to Nationwide’s children’s article, Dopamine and Serotonin: Our Own Happy Chemicals, Serotonin and dopamine act as chemical messengers that balance each other out. They work together and interact to regulate mood, behavior, and cognitive function. This is where the weather comes in. When out in the sun, sunlight stimulates the brain, signalling it to produce more serotonin. So, a decent time of half an hour of physical activity a day will greatly affect a student’s mental state.
This explains why physical activity is so good. According to the University of Michigan’s Michigan News article, warm weather boosts mood, broadens the mind, the recommended time to spend outside is half an hour to experience a boost in spirit.
“For weather to improve mood, subjects needed to spend at least 30 minutes outside in warm, sunny weather,” Michigan news said. “Researchers found that spending time indoors when the weather outside was pleasant decreased mood and narrowed cognitive style.”
Not only are the outdoors good for physical health, but there is actual evidence of sunshine improving emotional state as well.
“Being more active can boost your emotional health and like a positive outlook on things, and make you feel more relaxed and at peace,” Obney said.
All of this is reasoning to get off the couch and get outside more this spring.
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