The word pluviophilia means the ability to feel love for rain and everything related to it. Generally, this philia does not imply discomfort or any pathology. Although, it is true that in some cases, this feeling taken to the extreme can generate some discomfort when the weather is different and we find ourselves facing a sunny day, for example.
There are many people who love this time and enjoy those days. It gives them a relaxed state of mind, with images related to pluviophilia becoming a trend on social networks. In this Psychology-Online article, we tell you What is pluviophilia, what are its symptoms and the most common causes?. This way you can discover if you are a rain lover and why it happens to you.
What is pluviophilia?
The definition of pluviophilia refers to the love or special attraction for rain and everything related to it. It is not considered a pathology so it does not require treatment because it does not cause significant discomfort. People with pluviophilia experience quite the opposite. Now that we know the meaning of pluviophilia, in the next section we will see what its symptoms are.
Symptoms of pluviophilia
Love for rain can be diagnosed because people with pluviophilia exhibit certain behaviors. Next, we show you what the symptoms of pluviophilia are:
- Feeling of calm: feeling of relaxation the sound of rain. For this reason, it is very common for them to use sound recordings of rain or storms to help them sleep or to combat anxiety. Likewise, if there is a storm or rain one day, it is common for them to stop and listen. In the following article you can find more information about .
- Dance under the rain: Pluviophilia people prefer to get wet rather than take shelter in the rain. They don’t mind getting wet or going without an umbrella, and on many occasions they even prefer it. This pleasure of getting wet goes beyond being aware that doing so may pose a certain health risk.
- Love for petrichor: love for the smell of wet earth or the “smell of rain.” These people love this type of smell, they have even created air fresheners with this smell for rain lovers. This smell is produced by the mixture of water with the earth and also with the oil caused by the bacteria that live in the trees.
- Preference for cloudy skies: People with pluviophilia also feel in a better mood on cloudy days. They may even feel that sunny days, unlike other people, make them feel more discouraged.
- Windows: It is not always necessary to get wet to feel the pleasures of rain. Many people love to watch the drops slide down the window and see which one falls first. Having a hot drink while watching the rain is another pleasure of rain lovers. Therefore, if there is a good window, it is great news for them.
- Romanticism: There are many who claim “I have pluviophilia” and relate rain with romanticism. This may be due to the countless scenes in movies where a passionate, romantic moment occurs in the rain.
Causes of pluviophilia
The causes of pluviophilia are not entirely clear. It is not known exactly why he could develop this particular taste for rain. This is because, in general, it is not a disorder nor does it require any treatment, since it has no harmful effects, so His research has turned out to be quite scant.. Let’s look at the areas in which the causes of pluviophilia have been studied:
- biology: according to biology, each person’s genes They could be the cause of the love for rain. The variation in hormone levels that each of us has causes us to have different tastes for different things.
- Education: he having had good experiences as a child when it rained, or watching others live those good times in the rain, can make you develop a pleasure for this meteorological phenomenon. Education, through good experiences related to rain, can develop pluviophilia.
Why does rain relax you?
Once we have seen the causes and symptoms of pluviophilia, let’s see what are the reasons why rain relaxes.
Help to rest better
The sun causes an increase in serotonin. Therefore, the lack of it can produce a state similar to depression in the most serious cases. In the mildest cases, such as on cloudy or occasional rainy days, the rain can cause a state of calm and tranquility. On the contrary, rain increases the production of melatonin, which increases the feeling of sleep, that is, calm. That’s why rain helps us rest better.
sound of rain
As we mentioned previously in the article, on many occasions the sound of rain is used for relaxation and meditation. This may be because it is a soft, monotonous sound. These types of sounds send a signal to the brain that there are no dangers or threats.so it allows the body and mind to relax.
These characteristics, plus what was mentioned in the previous section, can cause a person to love rain or, on the contrary, fear rain, that is, a person with pluviophobia. In this case, it is more common that treatment will end up being required, since if this fear is extreme it can cause great impediments in daily life.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Pluviophilia: what it is, symptoms and causeswe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Trinidad, M. (2015). 7 signs you are a pluviophile. Retrieved November 24, 2020. Available at https://thoughtcatalog.com/mica-trinidad/2015/03/7-signs-youre-a-pluviophile/.