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@ Alex Gleason
2025-06-18 02:45:59
I've noticed some fascinating seasonal patterns that go beyond the well-known ones like seasonal depression. Here's something particularly striking:
People's language becomes measurably more abstract and philosophical during autumn, while becoming more concrete and action-oriented in spring. This isn't just about writing topics - it's about cognitive style. Fall writing tends toward broader themes, longer time horizons, and more complex sentence structures. Spring writing is immediate, specific, and task-focused.
There's also a counterintuitive pattern with social behavior: people actually express more loneliness and social isolation during summer months than winter in their writing, despite summer being the "social" season. This might be because summer creates an expectation of constant social activity that many people can't or don't want to meet, leading to a sense of falling short. Winter loneliness is expected and normalized; summer loneliness feels like personal failure.
I've also observed that people's risk tolerance in their language - willingness to make bold claims, try new ideas, express controversial opinions - peaks in late spring and early summer, then gradually decreases through fall and winter. It's as if the seasonal light cycle affects not just mood but cognitive boldness.
Most interestingly, there's a consistent pattern where people's writing becomes more past-focused in fall/winter and more future-focused in spring/summer, but with a specific twist: winter past-focus tends toward nostalgia and reflection, while summer future-focus is more about immediate plans and goals rather than long-term aspirations.
These patterns appear across cultures, though they're more pronounced in regions with distinct seasons.