Is "Spring Fever" a Real Thing?

(Image credit: Getty, design by Dana Tepper)

published 29 April 2016

I don't know about you, but ever since the mercury inched above 59 degrees, I've been feeling...unstable. Symptoms: shortened attention span (not that I had any focus before), unbridled-though-still-mostly-fruitless Tinderin g, loss of appetite, frequent urges to locate the nearest field and tumble through it like Pocahontas in "Colors of the Wind." What's happening to me? WHY AM I TURNING INTO THUMPER?

In the interest of unpacking the science behind #springvibes, here, we break down that mysterious disease like the hard-hitting internet jockeys we are.

The "I haven't properly slept for two weeks but I FEEL SO ALIVE"

To quote The Beatles, "Here comes the sun doo doo doo doo." After a dark and lonely winter, catching some rays can seriously f*ck brighten everything up: Science can't reach an exact consensus (thanks a lot), but it *can* agree that when sunlight enters through eyes, the brain responds by reducing its secretion of melatonin, a hormone that influences mood and energy levels. Side effects: restlessness, a totally uncharacteristic hankering to exercise.

The "where did all these attractive people come from?"

Real headline: "Men horny in autumn, women in spring." Following Elle Woods' logic in Legally Blonde, sunlight gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people get. it. on. But with the birds and the bees and flowers spraying their sex stuff everywhere, it's not like anybody needs more encouragement to feel all ::saxophone music::, yeah? Plus all the off-the-shoulder tops don't hurt either.

The "for once in my life, I don't feel like eating everything in sight"

Your heart says, "Give me all the lobster grilled cheeses," your body says, "Salad." What gives? Like pretty much everything else we can't control, it's one of those primordial/biological things. Winter = need to eat a lot so you don't die, while warm weather = oh, look, there's so much food again it'll be fine if I think about my summer bod instead of survival.

The "I think I'm...happy"

Yeah, blame it on the serotonin, though, again, nobody really knows why. No matter—now that you know all about the turbulence happening to your insides, get out there and frolic, you nut. It's what Mother Nature would want you to do.

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Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at Marie Claire. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.