September 20, 2024<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Moral Judgments May Shift with the Seasons<\/p>\n
Certain values carry more weight in spring and autumn than in summer and winter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
By Anvita Patwardhan<\/a><\/p>\n Jasmin Merdan\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n As leaves fall, snow sweeps in or flowers blossom, humans change in measurable ways, too. Research suggests a range of psychological phenomena\u2014such as our emotional state<\/a>, diet and exercise habits<\/a>, sexual activity<\/a> and even color preferences<\/a>\u2014fluctuate throughout the year. And now a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA<\/i><\/a> demonstrates how moral values can also shift.<\/p>\n For the study, researchers analyzed more than 230,000 online survey responses\u2014a decade\u2019s worth\u2014from people in the U.S., along with smaller groups in Canada and Australia. The questions were based on a standardized framework social scientists use to assess people\u2019s judgments of right and wrong. This framework, called moral foundations theory, sets up a taxonomy of \u201cfive pretty fundamental values that shape human social behavior,\u201d says lead author Ian Hohm, a psychology graduate student at the University of British Columbia.<\/p>\n The framework considers loyalty (devotion to one\u2019s own group), authority (respect for leaders and rules), and purity (cleanliness and piety) to be \u201cbinding\u201d values that promote group cohesion and conformity. These principles, often associated with political conservatism, consistently received weaker endorsements in summer and winter. And in summer, the more extreme the seasonal weather differences, the more pronounced the effect. (An additional surveyed group in the U.K. showed only the changes in summer.)<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing<\/a>. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n Care (preventing harm to others) and fairness (equal treatment) are considered \u201cindividualizing\u201d values pertaining to individual rights. These principles showed no consistent seasonal pattern.<\/p>\n One explanation for seasonal swings could be anxiety. Using a 90,000-respondent survey dataset, as well as data on Internet search frequencies, the researchers found that anxiety levels also peak in spring and fall. \u201cThere is a close relationship between anxiety and threat,\u201d says University of Nottingham psychologist and study co-author Brian O\u2019Shea. Other studies have shown that people who feel more vulnerable to seasonal illnesses tend to be more distrustful<\/a>, more xenophobic<\/a> and more likely to conform to majority opinion<\/a>. \u201cWhen you\u2019re threatened,\u201d O\u2019Shea explains, \u201cyou then want to get protection from your in-group.\u201d These findings suggest seasonal timing could affect jury decisions, vaccination campaigns\u2014and even election outcomes, the study authors say.<\/p>\n Howard University psychologist Ivory A. Toldson, whose work involves practical applications of statistics, notes that the study relies on data from \u201cWestern, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic (WEIRD)\u201d populations and cautions that generalizing from such results runs the risk of \u201coverlooking the unique moral experiences of marginalized groups.\u201d Hohm agrees that such a pattern wouldn\u2019t affect everyone the same way but emphasizes that the study highlights the seasons\u2019 effect on human psychology.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing that this article is showing is that we are very seasonal creatures,\u201d says Georgetown University School of Medicine psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal, a leading expert on seasonal affective disorder who coined the term in the 1980s. \u201cThe internal state definitely affects your behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Leaves](\"https:\/\/static.scientificamerican.com\/dam\/m\/8411c38e20d9d25\/original\/FallingLeaves.jpg?w=600\")
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