Increased daylight hours and warmer temperatures in spring and summer trigger hormonal changes associated with heightened libido
Source: 123RF
A couple in love in spring
There is no doubt that the arrival of spring and then of thesummer improves mood, sociability, and even sexual desire. The perpetrators are always the hormones, the production of which is affected by exposure to light and sunlight. An example? During the summer months, the body experiences a peak production of GH, also called growth hormone, and of testosterone, the hormone that instead regulates pleasure and sexual desire. In contrast, there is a drastic reduction in the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. This physiological change results in a completely different approach to life and each other, affecting (for the better) social and sexual relationships, as well as individual well-being.
How sunlight affects us
“Light is the source of life,” write professionals at Auxologico, a nonprofit foundation recognized as an Institute for Hospitalization and Treatment with Scientific Character (IRCCS). “During winter, an increased production of cortisol, a hormone that promotes the accumulation of body fat. This process has a dual function: it acts as an insulator from the cold but also as an energy reserve.” In contrast, cortisol is the hormone of the stress, of closure, of escape, which has little to do with the openness of love and sexuality.
“In the summer months, on the other hand, cortisol levels drop significantly. Sunlight activates the transformation of cholesterol into vitamin D. You then experience a spike in the secretion of the other anabolic hormones, particularly growth hormone (GH) and testosterone, hormones that promote the disposal of excess fat, and increase physical performance, the vitality, creativity, energy” including sex. But sunlight also affects other vital activities: it increases the production of serotonin, which has an effect antidepressant and stimulant, lowers stress levels and induces improvement in mood, and regulates the rhythm sleep-wake.
Where pleasure hormones are produced
But what are the hormones that regulate pleasure? And where are they produced? It is thehypothalamus (a structure of the central nervous system located in the central area inside the two hemispheres of the brain) the control unit that commands the production of follicle-stimulating hormones, those therefore that stimulate sperm production for him and oocyte and estrogen production for her. Again the hypothalamus requires and stimulates the production of the other hormones related to the sexual and relational sphere, such as: the endorphins, a molecule that determines the state of well-being; the dopamine, the hormone of sexual arousal and falling in love; the testosterone, which regulates among other things libido and sexual desire; and the oxytocin, the true love hormone.
Desire grows in spring
By increasing the production of these hormones with the sun, we can easily confirm a peak of sexual desire in the spring and summer season, especially for women. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Tromsø, Norway, there is a difference between men and women in the perception of pleasure and each other in different seasons.
“Female desire is proportional to the increase in sunlight, while strangely, male desire does not follow this mechanism,” Arne Holte, one of the Norwegian scholars who conducted the research, had commented. According to sexologist Bente Træen, male desire is more stable than that of women, which is instead more affected by the hormonal cycle and the surrounding environment: while men produce testosterone constantly, female hormones related to desire can be affected by changes in light hours. Also according to research, both sexes achieve the lowest peak of desire in the month of December.
The winter down
There is to all intents and purposes a form winter depression, also called SAD, seasonal affective desorder, which affects as many as 10-20% of the population. In general, there is a tendency to sleep more, lose concentration, and have a desire for isolation in addition to a common decreased libido. It is the cold and gray, low light and dull colors, so the production of melatonin, which laxes the body, and decreases the serotonin, which stimulates hunger and brings decreased desire. “Eros in a sense goes into hibernation. What causes a drop in libido is not only cold weather, which reduces the production of pheromones, the hormones of “sexual recall,” and promotes vasoconstriction (the organs are therefore less blood flowing), but also less exposure to light and smells,” had commented Alessandra Graziottin, director of the Center for Gynecology and Sexology of the San Raffaele Resnati Institute in Milan, Italy.
Summer and the predisposition
There is an issue then that goes beyond the purely organic and physiological issue. With spring and summer the days get longer and warmer, there is more pleasure in going out, partying and meeting people; in undressing even. There is a visual stimulation, which undoubtedly predisposes to the other, to openness and to getting out of the routine. It is no coincidence that the summer months are also when the risk of cheating is highest. It becomes a cycle for which it is difficult to tell which is the cause and which is the effect: hormones allow us to be more open and predisposed, or going out, being outside and undressing makes us feel good and stimulates the production of positive and sexual hormones.
