Lovers Of Cold And Rain: Is It A Rarity?

Associating winter with depression has always been a constant; For this reason, we can consider the fact that lovers of cold and rain are the “rare ones”. Lovers of deep winter days could be imagined as sullen or unsociable.

The truth is that we could decorate the profile to our liking, because there are hardly any scientific results on the association between climate and personality. Those that exist must be interpreted taking other variables as more relevant, such is the study of hot weather and crime.

Taking this as a starting point, we can say that loving the cold and rain is not a rarity, it is simply a rare preference. We associate the climate with experiences and that is where our preferences for heat or cold emerge, for example. Of course, climate change seems to be fattening the list of cold lovers.

Lovers of cold and rain: lovers of tranquility and solitude?

In Spike Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing , tempers rise as the temperature rises. The film shows a day in a heat wave in Brooklyn, when the heat of the day culminates in a riot apparently caused by the weather.

Several studies have found a relationship between high temperature and aggressive behaviors. In the United States, crimes of all kinds increase on hot days, particularly violent crimes (murder, assault, robbery, and rape).

According to this finding, violent crime is more common in the warm southern states ; in contrast, nonviolent crime is less common further south. A similar pattern has been found in France, Spain and Italy, countries in which it is also possible to identify large fluctuations between north and south.

Climate: a circumstantial factor

It is not clear what the real reason for this relationship between heat and violence is. There are probably several. When it’s cold, people are less likely to go out and engage in social interactions on the streets. In the movie, the problem begins when the crowd gathers.

On the other hand, heat increases thirst and we know that excess alcohol can fuel violence. Unpleasant conditions increase discomfort and irritability. Heat excites us more and makes us more prone to act. However, the relationship between temperature and the tendency to violence is not a simple straight line, but what we call curvilinear, in the shape of an inverted U.

A study that studied the number of aggravated assaults in Dallas, a southern city with plenty of hot days, showed that assaults increase as the temperature rises to approximately 30˚C; beyond that, the amount of violence drops again. It is as if above a certain temperature our propensity for activity ends.

Lovers of cold and rain, a rarity that helps us in cognitive capacity?

In general, gloomy weather lowers the mood, which helps us focus. Some studies have found that memory is better on cloudy and rainy days than on sunny days.

A typical study evaluated the ability of Australian shoppers to remember the identity and location of various small items placed in random places in a small store. The sample selection was incidental: the randomly selected participants were detained when leaving the store, at different times, and therefore under different weather conditions.

The researchers found that shoppers could recall, on average, three times as many items on cloudy days as on sunny days.

In general, the effects are complex and it is very likely that several things will happen. The meteorological variables that have the greatest effect on mood and memory are the hours of sunshine, temperature and humidity. High humidity levels lowered scores on concentration tasks and increased reports of drowsiness.

The pleasant climate seems to favor a better mood, which makes people more open and creative. However, these effects are only found during the spring and depend on the amount of time outdoors.

Lovers of cold and rain: simply a matter of taste and experience

Studies on climate and behavior have yielded little revealing data, as we have seen. However, we can draw a conclusion: we do not like extreme temperatures. We can also extract from its results that depending on the activity we are looking for, we will prefer one thing or another.

Therefore, we can say that lovers of cold and rain are reluctant to hot crowds, perhaps because they reduce their ability to control their environment and privacy.

When the cold appears, it is not that we are wanting to be at home, but we know that it can be a pleasant activity, just like being on the street, but controlling my temperature with layers of clothing and crowds. Cold weather may reduce crowds, but it encourages more intimate interactions, something introverts love.

Often, lovers of cold and rain are also lovers of gray and melancholic landscapes, of the sun with cold that warms -but does not burn-, of savoring coffee burning in contrast to the cold that leans out the window. Perhaps they are lovers of contrasts.

The explosive laughter in the black night, of the lightness of going with several layers, of the relaxing sound of thunder. Rarity or not, it is a pleasure that does not hurt anyone. It’s time to enjoy it.