Could there be a season of love? In Bulgaria, there’s a holiday to welcome spring called Baba Marta. People wear Martenitsi - red and white colored bands - which symbolize health and happiness. In addition to swapping Martenitsi with friends and family, as soon as they see the first bloom of spring, they take off their Martenitsi and place it in the tree.
My friend told me about this tradition as we were walking to brunch in Williamsburg, Brooklyn last week. We had yet to see any trees blossoming, although you could feel that at any moment the brush across the city would be in full bloom and the person we know who celebrates this holiday would be hanging his Martenitsi very soon.
The next day in the city, I did see a tree in bloom (above!). And then I saw flowers everywhere I looked, including a wall of roses on Broadway (below!) which a retailer had decorated to celebrate the spring season. I started to think about spring; it’s the season of new life without question, could it also be the season of love?
A quick Google search on this question revealed the hit song from Rent, “Seasons of Love,” which is one of my favorites and I was glad to listen to the song again. But a page further on Google unveiled just what I was looking for: “Spring is the season for love, scientifically speaking.”
It says, “Spring is a season of birds singing, bees buzzing and people falling madly in love.” Why? “Dopamine,” says Helen Fischer, a neuroscientist and author of five books on the science of love.
Spring produces more dopamine than any other season. The article says, “Every April your brain unwittingly becomes a dopamine factory, turning you into a love junkie.”
This must explain why it took me from July to April to say yes to a date with Greg. My brain chemistry changed after the somber winter nights and I was ready to fall in love!
XO,
Kristen
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