Come Together

Something has changed on campus.  Up until now, students have travelled the streets of Penn State mostly in packs, sometimes alone, and on occasion, in pairs.  However, in recent weeks, it seems like nearly EVERYONE has coupled up.   All around town they can be spotted, generally one boy and one girl (though this is not a strict formula and can be varied.)  They’re holding hands, smiling, and exchanging long glances and sweet nothings as they wander aimlessly around town.  Is it just a coincidence that everyone seems do as the Beatles’ title Come Together suggests when the weather gets warm, or is there some psychological/physiological explanation behind this explosion of love in the springtime?  I decided to do a little research and find out for myself…

As a matter of fact, the increased sunshine and longer days of spring actually produce hormonal changes.  When the temperature rises, the body secretes less melatonin, resulting in a decrease of the drudging tiredness we feel during the winter.  Serotonin, which governs mood, also increases in the spring, along with testosterone and estrogen.  Finally, animals (humans included) may produce more pheromones, chemicals that attract the opposite sex, when the sun comes out. Some people call spring’s effects on the body “Spring Fever,” which isn’t really a fever or any real illness at all.

You may have Spring Fever if the onset of warm weather causes you to experience:

• Extra energy and increased productivity
• Increased feelings of giddiness/impulsivity; uncanny enthusiasm for life
• Increased libido; unexplainable motivation to begin new relationships

Hormonal changes may be responsible for these symptoms, which when combined are likely to produce greater feelings of closeness/desire/love.  Some people attribute the elevated levels of romance to the simple fact that humans (especially the female type) tend to wear less clothing when the weather gets warmer.  On a college campus, the coupling up may be connected to the “now or never” attitude we experience when summer nears. 

Whatever the reasoning behind it, it’s undeniable that something happens in the spring that triggers romantic feelings.  (After all, more unplanned pregnancies occur in the springtime than any other season.) It’s a strange phenomenon, almost as strange as the lyrics of Come Together.  (In their later career, the Beatles’ music became increasingly bizarre.)  When warm weather appears, suddenly “Here come old flat top, he come grooving up slowly.”  Friendships begin to blossom into something more as males and females (again, not a strict formula) look at each other and say, “I know you, and you know me.”  They run to each other, and they “Come together.”

“Come together, right now, over me.”