Moral values ​​vary according to the seasons

Depending on the seasons, our moral values ​​change: we are more united in winter, which could influence the results of elections, often organized in summer.

Vincent Nouyrigat, editor-in-chief of the magazineEpsiloon tells us today about a study carried out by dhe psychologists who analyzed the moral values ​​of American Internet users.

franceinfo: Have these researchers observed curious seasonal variations in our moral values?

Vincent Nouyrigat: Yes, it’s surprising, in spring and autumn, we would generally be more focused on values ​​of loyalty, authority, cleanliness, respect for traditions, in any case, more than in winter and summer.

It’s surprising, but this seasonal, periodic signal appears clearly in the analysis of questionnaires completed online by more than 230,000 Americans over nearly 10 years. And this strange fluctuation has also been spotted – with some small nuances – in other studies, in Canada and Australia. In fact, it seems that all these great principles, which serve as our internal compass, are not as stable as one might believe.

But how can we explain this phenomenon?

So the researchers looked at all the indicators, and they found that Americans’ anxiety levels varied in the same way – peaking in the spring and fall, too. A possible explanation: strong anxiety would push us to seek comfort in the group, the tribe, by putting forward values ​​– sometimes a little martial – which make it possible to maintain cohesion between the members of a group.

But the mechanisms of anxiety fluctuations are not very clear: is it linked to the climate, to the sunshine? Or perhaps it is linked to social reasons: would Americans be less anxious in winter, due to preparations for Christmas and the end-of-year holidays? Not clear, knowing that we do not find the same phenomenon in the United Kingdom.

We don’t understand everything, but could these variations have consequences?

Yes, if the phenomenon is confirmed in the coming years, it may have to be taken into account in one way or another. The authors of this study therefore believe that the election calendar could have an influence on the voting results.

The American elections traditionally take place in November, as this year, and as we have seen, autumn tends to favor conformist, traditional values, rather close to the conservative camp.

And we can also wonder about court decisions, the severity of which could vary from one season to the next. And perhaps also conflicts, racist or homophobic excesses.