The beginning of December brings a different kind of atmosphere in every region of the world. The soft touch of cold air, the morning fog, the rapidly descending darkness of the evening, and the limited daylight awaken a state within a person that cannot be fully described in words. This state is not just a change in weather but the shadow cast on the human mind, body, and behavior that leaves its impact on both conscious and subconscious levels. As December begins, something starts to change within a person. His speed slows down, thoughts start to deepen, and emotions take on a different intensity than usual. A person feels himself standing in a quiet place in the middle of a fast-paced life where everything seems to stand still. This pause is not a weakness but the natural order of the human internal system that harmonizes it with the change of weather.
The cold of December does not only touch a person physically, but it also creates a wave within the mental world. As the sunlight decreases, the internal system of the brain perceives the lack of light as a threat. All the hormones that control our energy, happiness, mood, and mental balance start to change their pace. This is why some people become more quiet and serious in December, some become more sensitive, some start thinking more, and some start feeling an unusual emptiness inside themselves. All these conditions are not a sign of human weakness but a natural, scientific, and behavioral reaction.
Most people associate December with poetry, farewell feelings, sadness, or the exhaustion of the passing year, but the real reality of this month is much deeper than that. If we look at it in the context of the seasonal effects on the human mind and human nature, it is known that this month does not make a person sad but awakens his inner system, connects him with himself, and shows him those doors of his mental system that are not open on ordinary days. This is the place where science, psychology, and human behavior connect with each other. December brings to light those aspects of human nature that humans often forget in the busy routines of the year.
Natural Reaction to Winter
The relationship between December and the human brain: How do light, heat, and the body clock change the state of mind?
Humans are not just sentient beings but also complex biological systems that are directly affected by their environment. In December, the relationship between weather changes and the human brain becomes most intimate and visible. As the days get shorter, the duration of light decreases. Light is not just light for the human brain but an important signal. Light is the means by which the brain determines when to wake up, when to sleep, when to provide energy to the body, and when to rest it. This system is called the circadian rhythm, which works like a person’s internal clock. As the days get shorter in December, this internal clock interprets the lack of light as a false message. The brain thinks that it is probably evening, when in fact the clock is telling the hours of the beginning of the day. Due to this contradiction, a person finds it difficult to wake up in the morning, and the energy level remains low throughout the day. This condition is not a problem of any mental weakness or personality but is purely an effect of the weather. When the light is less, the brain produces more melatonin. This is the hormone that makes a person sleepy. In winter, this hormone remains high throughout the day, due to which a person feels the same sleepiness during the day as he should have at night. This is why many people feel heaviness in December. On the other hand, serotonin is a chemical that is a symbol of happiness, mood, energy, interest, and mental balance. It is produced directly from sunlight. When the light is low, serotonin also starts to be produced less. Due to this deficiency, a person starts feeling depressed, apathetic, tired, and quiet. This is not an emotional problem but a fluctuation in the level of the chemical. Therefore, it is important to understand the effect of December so that a person can manage himself better during this season.
Human Behavior and December: Why Does This Month Make Us More Sensitive, More Thoughtful, and Deeper?
December is not only the result of internal chemical changes in the body or brain, but it also changes a person’s behavior in a special way. As the year comes to an end, a person unconsciously begins to evaluate his life. This self-accountability is not related to culture or tradition; it is a natural mechanism of the human mind. In the last month of the year, the brain goes into a special state called the Reflective Mood State. In this state, a person starts thinking more deeply about the events, successes, failures, and relationships in his life. This thinking does not make a person sad but makes him conscious. Similarly, December makes a person more sensitive.This sensitivity is related to less serotonin, more melatonin, and the general harshness of the weather. A person starts to notice small things more, memories of the past come back more intensely, and a person starts to see his surroundings more deeply. This sensitivity is not a sign of weakness but a natural attempt of the brain to adapt to the changes in the weather.
Hormone Shifts in Cold Weather
Is the weather in December written in human history? The relationship between human genes and weather
Human behavior is not only the result of the current environment, but also thousands of years of history; weather experiences, survival wars, hunger, winter dangers, and fear of nature are preserved within it. Modern science, especially epigenetics, has made it clear that human DNA does not just store physical characteristics but also the traumas and experiences of those distant times that our ancestors went through. Thousands of years ago, man's greatest enemy was the harsh cold. Months like December and January were the seasons that decided life and death at that time. When the days became shorter, the light decreased, the snowfall increased, food became scarce, hunting almost stopped, and the entire human tribe was united by only one thought: will we be able to survive the next month or not? This fear of winter forced the human body to save energy, reduce movement, eat less food, and maintain its body temperature as much as possible. All these reactions were the basic laws of survival.
In the era when humans were deprived of modern conveniences, the onset of winter was an unconscious alarm of danger. The arrival of December used to create high alert in humans; those chemical changes in their brains used to create a defense system that took the body into “Survival Mode.” Today we live in modern homes, have heaters, have warm clothes, and have food available in all seasons, but genetically our body still considers winter as a threat and produces the same ancient response that our ancestors learned thousands of years ago during the ice ages. For this reason, as soon as December comes, humans automatically become more cautious, seek more rest, hunger increases, the demand for sweet and carbohydrate foods increases, the body saves energy, the demand for sleep increases, and the mind unconsciously slows down.
A huge volcano erupted
A more surprising fact is that some events in human history have deepened this “fear of winter.” For example, the historical year of 536 AD, which is called the darkest year in the world. That year, a huge volcano erupted, blocking sunlight from reaching the Earth for about a year and a half. Crops in different parts of the world were destroyed, social life was disrupted, people began to starve, icy winters became many times harsher than usual, and the human population declined sharply. Generations have preserved this event in their subconscious memory. Those experiences were transferred directly to DNA. Even today, the vague fear, lethargy, heaviness, and cautious attitude that arise in humans as December approaches are not simply the result of the current weather but a continuation of centuries-old weather traumas that have been imprinted in our genetic makeup. Epigenetics explains that the environment turns genes “ON” and “OFF.” That is, conditions such as harsh weather, lack of light, hunger, cold, and intense anxiety create chemical changes in genes, and these changes are passed on to future generations. That is why, when the light decreases in December, our body unconsciously starts to reactivate the same protective system that was necessary for human survival thousands of years ago. Even modern man, who sits in front of the heater and drinks coffee, has the same ancient reactions inside him: save energy, eat more, be slow, avoid unnecessary movement, and reduce mental activity. These are the behaviors that evolution has deepened in man so that he can survive the harsh winters.
Similarly, the "amygdala" of the human brain, which senses fear, becomes more sensitive in winter. This sensitivity is also inherited from our ancestors because winter was always a sign of danger. That is why in December, man feels even small troubles more intensely, emotions are quickly affected, past pains begin to resurface, and man becomes more "conscious" and "cautious" internally.
The experiences of human history, the fear of winter, the instinct for survival, the lack of light, and the harsh weather all of these are so ingrained in our genetic makeup that December still has a unique effect. This state is not our weakness but an ancient protective system that is still alive within us today. As the seasons change, our bodies try to protect us, even if we are not consciously aware of it. Therefore, the state that December brings is not just the effect of the weather but a continuing sign of the deep history of man, his nature, and the journey of survival.
Why does December feel heavier in modern life?
Although man has left behind the difficulties of thousands of years, December still feels heavier than ever in modern life. Our pace has changed, the environment has changed, but the internal structure of the human body and brain has not yet changed, which reacts to subtle changes in weather, light and temperature under the habit of centuries. Today's man sits in front of screens all day, works, lives in artificial light, sleep hours are disrupted, physical activity is reduced, and due to lack of contact with the sun, the brain does not get the stimulus that balances mood and energy. This is why in December, man feels more mental stress, fatigue and emotional anxiety than before, because the further his body is from the natural environment, the more he feels the intensity of the weather. The biggest reason for the heaviness of December is the lack of light, which is further increased in modern life. Although we have light bulbs, the human brain never recognizes artificial light as equal to the natural light of the sun. Less light reduces the production of Serotonin, which is the main chemical for happiness, peace and mental balance. On the other hand, Melatonin increases, which pushes the brain towards sleep. Thus, a person remains exhausted, lethargic, listless and mentally foggy throughout the day. In earlier times, people were naturally less active during the days of December and their lifestyles adapted to the weather, but today's society expects people to work, perform and be constantly busy like in summer. Between this natural pressure of the weather and this unnatural burden of social expectations, the mind gets stuck, which makes December feel even heavier.
Another important factor of modern life is cognitive load, which increases in winter. Being the last month of the year, a person finds himself calculating for no reason - how the year went, what was lost and gained, what will be next year, whether goals were met or not, what changes have occurred in relationships, how many successes or failures there have been. It’s part of human nature to be self-responsible, but in December, when the mind is already weak and energy is low, these thoughts become even more of a burden. Modern societal pressures work goals, budgeting, children’s vacations, household responsibilities, annual events all add to the mental burden, leaving us feeling naturally unfulfilled, stressed, and exhausted by the passing of time.
Then there’s another intangible fact: the more we are cut off from nature in modern life, the more the weather affects us. With the onset of winter, we become more confined indoors, meet fewer friends, exercise less, see less sunlight, and our bodies produce fewer endorphins, which are our natural source of happiness, due to lack of movement. This social isolation deepens the heaviness of December, because humans are fundamentally social creatures. When social contact decreases, the mind automatically starts remembering the past more, unfinished stories come to life, the memory of those who have passed away increases, and a quiet sadness begins to arise inside.
Practically speaking, the pace of modern life and the natural effects of December are not compatible with each other. The mind wants the speed to slow down, the body wants to maintain heat, emotions want to find peace, but society wants a person to be constantly busy, to meet every deadline on time, to maintain every social relationship, to cope with every mental strain. This incompatibility makes December more burdensome for the modern person. It seems as if two contradictory forces are at work within the person one that says “relax”, and the other that says “keep moving”. This internal conflict is the biggest reason for the heaviness of December.
Thus, December is no longer just a season but becomes a symbol of the constant battle between the mind and body of the modern person. The biological demands of the season are different, while the demands of modern life are entirely different. Because of this contradiction, December feels more intense today than ever before deep, heavy, exhausting, but in a way that also brings one closer to oneself.
What does December teach us?
December is a month that gives a person the opportunity to stop and look at themselves. This month makes a person realize that silence is also necessary in the race of life. It tells us that understanding emotions, giving ourselves time, evaluating our lives and mentally preparing for the new year are part of human nature. December teaches us that a person should sometimes stop and breathe, question themselves and try to understand the world within themselves. Another most important thing that December teaches us is that we should take special care of the people connected to us. Just as in history, people used to be affected by weather disasters and they all suffered from it, they used to support each other and take care of each other. Today, in the same way, we should take special care of the people connected to us in this month, especially if our friends from the lower class who are included in our circle of friends, take special care of them. Cooperate with them as much as possible. If there are any resentments, grudges, etc. in our hearts, try to remove them. This month teaches us to forget the mistakes of the past and connect anew in the coming year. We all have to walk together, not to leave anyone behind or to keep anyone behind, but to sit everyone together in the car of life and walk with equality. This month especially teaches us
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