As the excitement and warmth of summer starts to dwindle, giving way to the brisk breeze and frigid cold that characterizes fall and winter, the drive in students tends to fall along with the temperatures. For some reason, as winter begins to take hold of our small city, the motivation that used to be so prominent in many students is lost.

“I think, I feel more motivated when there is good weather”, says Lydia Halvorson, a sophomore at CHS. Her bold statement does not come as a surprise, but instead, a commonly felt limitation. Especially here in Olympia, where cloudy and overcast weather characterizes our way of life, it can influence important things such as academic motivation. In fact, Halvorson goes on to say, “In the beginning of it [Autumn] it’s motivating, but by the end of fall, it’s slowing down. Getting more cold and rainy…” This supports the idea that motivation in students is directly affected by the change in seasons, unfortunately though, it only illuminates the negative side of it.

In reality, the change in seasons can also positively influence people. As Halvorson stated before, people tend to experience higher levels of motivation when the weather is nice, so according to logic, this should mean that naturally, students’ motivation will increase as the school year comes to a close. The bright, sunny weather that starts to make an appearance should lift people’s spirits and their motivation along with it.

Neurologist Judy Willis writes that, “…dopamine – a chemical messenger that promotes pleasure, motivation, confidence and memory – increases with more exposure to sunlight.” All of these factors work together to promote a student’s will to learn, and to boost their motivation that was lost in the dreary winter months. However, sometimes this excitement can work in the opposite direction and lead to students procrastinating because of their restlessness to escape outdoors. The idea of being cooped up inside can be crippling for some, and so instead of using their newfound energy to accomplish academic success, they use it to take time for themselves and do the things that are personally important to them.

Ideally, students would be able to create a healthy balance between all of these things and enjoy a lifestyle that benefits them. Going into the future, the hope is that students will have an increased awareness of how changes in the weather affect their academic motivation. This information will allow students to take charge of their academic life and achieve the successes they hope to achieve.