Super Awesome Science Show: The science of spring fever

We’ve all heard about spring fever, although medically speaking, it’s not really an illness. Instead, it refers to a change in our behaviour that happens to align with the changing of the seasons. On this week’s Super Awesome Science Show, we explore some of the science behind these changes and offer some perspective on how to deal with the consequences.

Our first guest may know a reason for the effects of spring fever: we are being exposed to more light. Kathryn Roecklein, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, reveals the effects of sunlight on our brains and how the change in seasons may alter how we act. She also reveals that we may no longer see such a dramatic shift due to our continual exposure to artificial light.

The change of the seasons also means a rise in certain mental health concerns. Statistics have shown spring brings with it a rise in suicides and greater unhappiness in some people. We speak with Jon Abramowitz, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina and an expert on coping with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, who reveals the truth about living with these problems and how to cope.

In our SASS Class, we explore one of the stereotypes of spring fever – the urge to find new mates. Our guest teacher is Maryanne Fisher. She is a professor of psychology at St. Mary’s University but she is better known as the relationship doctor. We discuss the process of trying to find a new mate and how this can be complicated by competition. She also reveals that looking back to the 18th century may help people figure out how to win at love today.

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Contact:

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: thegermguy@gmail.com

Guests:

Kathryn Roecklein
Web: http://psychology.pitt.edu/people/kathryn-roecklein-phd
Twitter: @roecklein

Jon Abramowitz
http://www.jabramowitz.com/
Twitter: @DrJonAbram

Maryanne Fisher
http://www.smu.ca/future-students/relationship-doctor.html
Twitter: @ml_fisher

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