Spring brings sunny days, chirping birds, bright flowers and a myriad of festivities. With the advent of April Fools’, Spring Break, Easter, Mother’s Day and Prom, it seems obvious that the new season brings happiness. But what are the real reasons behind this phenomenon?

Some say that in the springtime, school is less stressful. People are more settled into their classes and teachers are more lenient. The onset of spring comes at the end of the third quarter slump, a time when students become more at ease with their workloads and grades drop. Teachers have also noticed more students cutting classes in the spring than in the winter.

For upperclassmen, senioritis also kicks in with the new season. “The exuberance associated with spring probably adds to senioritis, although mostly it’s students psychologically disengaging themselves from their old environment and looking forward to the new,” psychology teacher John Hebert said.

A study from the University of Michigan has shown that spending time outside rather than cooped indoors actually “broadens cognitive style.” This means students should spend more time outside when the weather permits it, to maximize the healthy inspiring effects of spring. Perhaps more classes should be held outside so students can experience the weather and its cognitive benefits.

With the departure of cold weather comes a new dress style suitable for a warmer environment. In the spring, heavy layers of clothing like sweatshirts and long pants are replaced by lighter clothing such as tank tops and shorts. This change in fashion also furthers the joyful mood of spring. “Wearing multiple layers of clothing hides you, whereas if you're wearing less clothing you're less hidden,” Hebert said. “People are less depressed and are obviously clothed in such a way. Nobody looks attractive in a parka.”

Spring, furthermore, carries with it a sense of rebirth. The sunny days convey a hopeful sense of romance. With prom just around the corner, students are looking for love.A glance around the campus reveals that students are flirting more than ever. After all, “springtime is associated with romance,” Hebert said. “Think back to Shakespeare. There are all sorts of spring references associated with romance and love.”

In scientific terms, research shows that there is a direct correlation between happiness and amounts of light. During winter, when there are fewer hours of sunlight, depression is more common. This affliction, known as the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is also more severe in higher latitudes, where winter has even less sunlight. In the tropics and near the equator, SAD is less of a problem because it is sunny more of the time.

Ultraviolet light rays decrease the production of melatonin, a hormone that increases drowsiness and depression, and increase the production of serotonin, an essential neurotransmitter that regulates mood and feelings of happiness. Some people are more prone to the changes in mood than others. Furthermore, sunlight on the skin makes people feel healthier by helping to produce vitamin D, which is required for the body to take calcium into the bloodstream. On the other hand, too much time in the sun can cause sunburns and even skin cancer.

School psychologist George Green observes that spring affects the moods of Gunn students. “I notice depression all times of the year, but probably more prevalently in the winter,” Green said. “With spring come remissions. Spring lifts depression for some people.”

In fact, a common, effective treatment for seasonal and general depression is specialized light therapy. Light therapy exposes people to light twenty times brighter than normal indoor light for a few hours, and consequently people report feeling much happier. An easier way to cure this depression, however, is to spend more time outdoors, soaking in the rays of the sun.

It is not only the sunlight that lifts our mood, but also many other factors associated with spring, such as fresh food and more exercise. Studies have shown that during the winter holiday season, some people tend to gain a bit of weight, probably from eating more foods and exercising less. When spring comes, however, people become more active and exercise more, as well as eat less fatty food and more fresh spring food.

Other simple aspects associated with nature in spring also tend to cheer people up. “Finally we’ve got daylight and flowers and no clouds, no snow or rain,” Hebert said. “It’s definitely a release from a semi-depressed state.”

Spring really cheers people up. As senior Adam Dohner puts it, “[spring] puts a bounce in your step. Because it’s spring! It makes you bouncy!”