What Your Favorite Season Says About Your Personality

Does a particular season of the year appeal to you more than others? Some people love the long, warm days of summer while others revel in the chillier days of autumn. Why is it that some seasons speak to us more than others? Could psychology explain our seasonal preferences?

Why We Sometimes Prefer Certain Seasons

While there is little research looking specifically at the psychology of seasonal preferences, researchers have found that seasonal changes in temperature and light can have an impact on moods and behaviors. One study even suggested that the month in which a person is born might be correlated with later personality.
Those born in the spring and summer months, for example, were more likely to have excessively positive temperaments and were more likely to experience rapid shifts in mood. Those born during the winter months, on the other hand, were less likely to have irritable temperaments.
While it might seem odd, psychologists have long recognized the powerful influence that seasons and can have on mood. The shorter months of winter are known for sometimes causing people to experience seasonal affective disorder, also known as the "winter blues." Research has also shown that the onset of spring can actually lead to a temporary boost in positivity depending on how much time an individual spends outdoors. The surprising results of one study even found that people who were in utero during the summer months were more likely to die from heart disease during the winter season later in life.
Any sort of scientific explanation for our personal love of any particular season must also take geographic differences into consideration. Some Western states tend to have cold fall months that quickly turn to snow. Many Eastern states, on the other hand, often experience milder autumn weather that showcases the glorious and colorful transition from summer to fall. Where we live and the weather typical of that region can play a significant role in season preference.

The Connection Between Weather and Mood

Cold weather might influence our moods, but researchers have also found that dropping temperatures can have an effect on behavior as well. For example, room temperatures can affect how people judge criminal suspects.
In one 2014 study, people in hot rooms were more likely to perceive accused criminals as impulsive and hot-headed, while those in cold rooms were more likely to view suspects as having committed cold-blooded, premeditated crimes.
It turns out that temperatures can have a subtle yet profound impact on the judgments' we make about other people. One 2008 study found that when people are holding a hot beverage, they are more likely to see others as warmer and more personable. Holding a cold drink, on the other hand, led participants to perceive others as interpersonally colder.

Why Light Affects Mood

It's no secret that light can have a significant influence on your mood. Bright, sunny days may leave you feeling happy and energized while dark, dreary days may cause you to feel gloomy and uninspired. Light might also play a part in your personal preferences for particular seasons of the year.
Your body's circadian rhythm, or the roughly 24-hour cycle of wakefulness and sleepiness, is influenced by sunlight. Decreasing amounts of sunlight cause the body to release hormones that trigger periods of lethargy.
A lack of sunlight during the fall and winter months is linked to what is known as seasonal affective disorder. People who experience symptoms of this disorder may feel depressed during the darker, shorter days of the year and lose interest in activities they usually enjoy. They may also experience other symptoms such as increased fatigue and appetite.
Those who are affected by SAD may prefer the sunnier spring and summer months when they are less likely to be impacted by symptoms of this seasonal disorder. People with SAD may find it helpful to increase their exposure to sunlight each day and to try light box therapy.

What Your Favorite Season Says About You

Temperature and light levels may play a role in determining which season you love the most, but could your personal preferences also reveal something about your underlying personality? Here are just a few possible tendencies that your favorite season might show about you.
Spring
For some parts of the world, spring is when the short, dark days of winter give way to warming temperatures and greener outdoor spaces.
If spring is your favorite season, then you might crave new experiences and the spring season offers the chance of renewal that you need after a long, cold winter.
Summer
In many regions of the world, summer is all about longer, warmer, brighter days. If summer is your favorite time of year, it might mean that you love getting out and living an active lifestyle.
The warm months of summer are a time to travel and enjoy the outdoors. You probably tend to be on the outgoing, extroverted side and people likely describe you as upbeat, personable, and assertive.
Fall
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns," George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans) once wrote of her affection for the fall season.
While parts of the world tend to think of spring as the season of renewal, fall is also a very good time for a fresh start. The vibrant colors and cooler weather of autumn appeal to your constant desire for change. The upcoming holidays inspire many to reflect back on the year that was and make plans for the year to come.
Winter
If you count the chilly months of winter as your favorite season of all, it might mean that you tend to be a bit of an introverted homebody.
Donning a warm sweater and curling up on the couch with a hot beverage to escape the cold might sound like your idea of an ideal afternoon.

Final Thoughts

Seasonal changes in light and temperature can play a major role in how we think, feel, and behave.
It is important to remember, however, that our individual preferences may be influenced by a wide variety of factors including our experiences. If you grew up enjoying the outdoors during summer months and have pleasant memories of the summer season, then it may be more likely that you will also love summer as an adult.

Our preferences, including those for certain times of the year, are complex and likely influenced by a wide array of interacting factors.

9 Quick Facts About the Brain

There are still many mysteries about the human brain, but researchers have uncovered a number of interesting facts about how it works. Here are nine quick facts to get you started on the path to a better understanding of the brain.

1. It's Heavier Than You Might Think

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The average adult human brain weighs approximately 3 pounds and tends to be larger in males than in females. It's also one of our body's biggest and fattiest organs.

2. It's Mostly Water

The human brain is composed of approximately 75 percent water, as well as fat and protein.

3. It Grows Tremendously From Infancy to Adulthood

The average weight of a newborn human infant brain is about 350 to 400 grams, or three-quarters of a pound. That means it grows to four times its original size from infancy to adulthood.

4. It's Made Up of Billions of Neurons

Recent estimates suggest that the average adult brain contains approximately 86 billion nerve cells, also called neurons. Neurons are the messengers in our brains, carrying information and communicating with our sensory organs, our muscles, and each other.

5. It's Also Made up of Billions of Glial Cells

Recent research has shown that the belief that there are 10 glial cells for every one neuron is false. The ratio is closer to 1:1. Glial cells make up approximately half of the brain and spinal cord, though this ratio can vary from one spot to the next.
Glial cells perform a range of functions, including acting as a glue to hold neurons together. They also perform housekeeping functions by cleaning up excess neurotransmitters and supporting synaptic growth.
There are several different types of glial cells: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, ependymal cells, radial glial, satellite cells, and schwann cells.

6. It Can Form New Cells, Even in Adulthood

The brain continues to form new connections between neurons throughout our lives. Old beliefs suggested that the brain was fairly set in stone early in life, but neuroscientists now know that the brain never stops changing.

7. It Requires a Lot of Energy to Function

While it represents only about 2 percent of the body's total weight, the brain requires about 20 percent of the body's oxygen and 25 percent of the body's glucose.8

8.Traumatic Brain Injuries Are PREVALENT

Among children and adults between the ages of 1 and 44, traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of disability and death. The most common causes of these traumatic brain injury include falls, motor vehicles crashes, and assaults.

9. Our Brains Have Actually Been Getting Smaller

The average size of the human brain has decreased by about 9 cubic inches over the past 5,000 years. This may be due to the fact that our bodies have also gotten smaller over time.

Fascinating Facts About Personality

Personality makes us who we are. It influences nearly every aspect of our lives including what we choose to do for a living, how we interact with our families, and our choices of friends and romantic partners. But what factors influence our personality? Can we change our personalities, or do our overall traits remain constant throughout life?

Since personality is such a fascinating topic, it has become one of the most heavily researched subjects within psychology. Thanks to all this research, psychologists have learned a great deal about the things that influence personality as well as how personality influences our behaviors.​
Continue reading to discover more about what researchers have learned in these ten fascinating facts about personality.

Birth Order Can Influence Your Personality

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You've probably heard of this concept before. Firstborn children are often described as "bossy" or "responsible," while last-born children are sometimes described as "irresponsible" and "impulsive." But how true are these common stereotypes?
For decades, pop psychology books touted the effects of birth order on personality, but hard evidence on the phenomenon remained elusive until quite recently. A few empirical studies have found that such things as birth order and family size may indeed have an impact on personality. One study even found that birth order can influence your choices of friends and romantic partners; first-borns tend to associate with other first-borns, middle-borns with other middle-borns, and last-borns with last-borns.
Another recent study published in the journal PNAS suggested that many of the stereotypes associated with birth order, such as first-borns being bossy or last-borns being irresponsible, don't necessarily hold water.
The study looked at more than 5,000 American subjects, almost 4,500 British subjects, and more than 10,000 German participants. While the researchers did find that first-born children tended to score better on intelligence tests, they also looked at how birth order influence self-reported information on the five broad dimensions of personality: extroversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness. The study found little evidence supporting any connection between birth order and character.
While this research does not mean that birth order has no impact on personality, it does suggest that further investigation is needed.

Your Personality Is Relatively Stable Throughout Life

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Do you think that personality can change over time or is your basic temperament set in stone? In long-term studies of personality, some of the most core parts of personality remain stable throughout life. Three aspects that do tend to change as we age are anxiety levels, friendliness, and eagerness for novel experiences.
According to researcher Paul T. Costa Jr., there is no evidence our overall personalities change as we grow older.
"What changes as you go through life are your roles and the issues that matter most to you. People may think their personality has changed as they age, but it is their habits that change, their vigor and health, their responsibilities and circumstances—not their basic personality," he suggested in a New York Times article.

Personality Traits Are Linked to Certain Illnesses

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In the past, a number of different personality traits have been suspected of contributing to particular illnesses. For example, hostility and aggressionwere often linked to heart disease. The difficulty was that while some studies would reveal a link, other studies demonstrated no such connection.
Recently, researchers have used a statistical technique known as meta-analysis to reevaluate previous research on the connection between personality and disease. What they discovered were some previously unnoticed connections between neurotic personality traits and five illnesses; headaches, asthma, arthritis, peptic ulcers, and heart disease.
Another study suggested that shyness might be linked to a shorter lifespan.

Animals Have Distinctive Personalities

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Does it ever seem like your beloved pet has a personality that makes him utterly unique? Animal researchers have found animals from nearly every species of animal (from spiders to birds to elephants) have their own personalities with preferences, behaviors, and quirks that persist throughout life.
While some critics suggest that this represents anthropomorphism, or ascribing human traits to animals, animal personality researchers have been able to identify consistent behavioral patterns that can be empirically measured and tested.

Current Research Suggests That There Are Five Core Personality Traits

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In the past, researchers have debated exactly how many personality traitsexist. Early researchers such as Gordon Allport suggested that there were as many as 4,000 distinct personality traits, while others such as Raymond Cattell proposed that there were 16.
Today, many personality researchers support the five-factor theory of personality, which describes five broad personality dimensions that compose human personality:

1. Extraversion
2. Agreeableness
3. Conscientiousness
4. Neuroticism
5. Openness

Personality Influences Personal Preferences

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It may come as no shock to learn that your personality can have a profound effect on your personal preferences, but you just might be surprised by how far reaching these effects may be. From your choice of friends to your taste in music, your unique personality can influence nearly every choice you make in your daily life.
For example, while you might pride yourself on carefully considering the issues before choosing a candidate to support, research suggests that personality may play a strong role in political preferences. One study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto found that individuals who identified themselves as conservatives were higher in a personality trait called orderliness, while those who self-identified as liberal were higher in empathy.
Researchers suggest that these underlying personality needs to either preserve order or express empathy can have a strong influence on political preferences.

People Can Accurately Judge Your Personality Based on Your Facebook Profile

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When you think about people's online identities, you might imagine that most people try to present an idealized version of their real selves. After all, in most online situations you get to pick and choose the information you want to reveal. You get to select the most attractive photos of yourself to post and you can edit and revise your comments before you make them. Surprisingly, one study discovered that Facebook profiles are actually quite good at conveying your real personality.
In the study, researchers looked at the online profiles of 236 U.S. college-aged individuals. The participants also filled out questionnaires designed to measure personality traits including extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness.
Observers then rated the personalities of the participants based on the online profiles, and these observations were compared to the results of the personality questionnaires. The researchers found that observers were able to get an accurate read on a person's personality based on their Facebook profile.
"I think that being able to express personality accurately contributes to the popularity of online social networks in two ways," explained psychologist and lead author Sam Gosling. "First, it allows profile owners to let others know who they are and, in doing so, satisfies a basic need to be known by others. Second, it means that profile viewers feel they can trust the information they glean from online social network profiles, building their confidence in the system as a whole."

Numerous Factors Can Contribute to Personality Disorders

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An estimated 10 to 15% of adults in the United States experience symptoms of at least one personality disorder. Researchers have identified a number of factors that may contribute to the onset of different personality disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder.
These factors include:

• Genetics
• Relationships with peers
• High sensitivity
• Verbal abuse
• Childhood trauma

Cardinal Traits Are Rare

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Psychologist Gordon Allport described cardinal traits like those that dominated an individual's life to the point where that person is known and often identified specifically by that trait. These traits are considered rare, however. In many cases, people become so known for these traits that their very names become synonymous with that type of personality. Consider the origins of these often-used terms: Freudian, Machiavellian, narcissistic, Don Juan, and Christ-like.
For most people, personality is instead composed of a mixture of central and secondary traits. Central traits are those that make up the core foundation of personality, while secondary traits are those related to preferences, attitudes, and situational behaviors.

Your Pet May Reveal Information About Your Personality

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Would you consider yourself more of a "dog person" or a "cat person"? According to one study, your answer to this question might actually reveal important information about your personality.
In a study of 4,500 people, researchers asked participants whether they considered themselves to be more dog people or cat people. These individuals also completed a personality survey that measured a number of broad traits including conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, and agreeableness.
The researchers discovered that people who identified themselves as dog people tended to be more extroverted and eager to please others, while those who described themselves as cat people tended to be more introverted and curious.

According to researcher Sam Gosling, a psychologist at the University of Texas-Austin, the results might have important implications in the field of pet therapy. By using personality screenings, therapists might be able to match people in need with animals that are best suited to their personality.