Why we Fall for Fall
There's something about Fall that makes people suddenly want to get their lives together. You buy a new planner, reorganize your room, romanticize your morning routine, and convince yourself that this will finally be the semester where everything falls into place. Even if you aren't in school anymore, September still somehow feels like a fresh start. It could be the cooler weather, the changing leaves, or being bombarded with pumpkin-flavored everything. Whatever it is, Americans seem to love it. According to a CBS News article, a survey of 1,600 Americans found that 45% chose Fall as their favorite season.
But why is this?
Psychologists call Fall a temporal landmark, which is basically a point in time that helps us separate the "old" from the "new." Birthdays, New Year's, Mondays, and the start of a school year can all act as temporal landmarks. They give us a reason to reflect on where we are and motivate us to make changes. Fall might have an even stronger effect because, for most of us, September means going back to school. New classes, new professors, new clothes, and possibly even new people. Even as we get older, those associations can stick with us, making Fall feel like a reset.
Fall can also go beyond just being a temporal landmark. Fall is also a season that’s very nostalgic for people because of associations like Halloween, Thanksgiving, apple picking, hot apple cider, pumpkin patches, and the simple cozy nights that bring us back and remind us of all of these associations. Even something as simple as the smell of cinnamon or the sound of leaves crunching can bring back memories we haven't thought about in quite a while.
And that's probably why Fall feels so comforting. It's a season that somehow makes us reflective but also prospective of what’s ahead. We get to revisit familiar traditions while also convincing ourselves that this year, we'll finally become the person who wakes up at 5 AM, stays organized, and has their life together.
Maybe all the talk about Fall isn’t just something that’s related to the weather, but it’s the feeling that starting over can be possible.
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