Why Fall Colors Move Us

What makes fall colors feel so emotionally rich?

Every autumn, cars crawl along the Kancamagus Highway in northern New Hampshire. The 34-mile road through the White Mountains is one of the best places to see fall foliage in the world, and thousands of leaf peepers slow down each year to savor it. Crimson and gold, amber and orange—nature’s brush has a field day with the canopy canvasing peaks and valleys. As Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “October is the month of painted leaves.”

At the beginning of that essay, “Autumnal Tints,” Thoreau observes that Europeans visiting the U.S. “are surprised by the brilliancy of our autumnal foliage.” Yet it’s not just newcomers to New England, or Appalachia, or Japan, who revel in this natural vibrancy. Even those who live at the foot of these radiant trees have been known to take a day off just to embark on the awe-inspiring experience of leaf-peeping. To them, the senescence of leaves doesn’t signify deterioration; the change of color instead demonstrates, as Thoreau puts it, that these leaves have “arrived at a late and perfect maturity.”

It’s a comforting thought, that leaves can be in their finest form at the end of their life cycles. And there’s science to support this solace: One study found that even 90 seconds of viewing the colors of autumn leaves can cause our bodies and minds to relax.

Like a holiday, the annual return of fall colors stirs nostalgia and ambivalence, too; it can be bittersweet, after all, to witness such transience.

And the colors themselves play a major role in this emotional richness.

How does the science of color perception shape this experience?

You’re not imagining it. Different colors really do make you feel differently. And fall’s colors have been proven to make us feel good.

Our attraction to red dates back to our ancestors. Primates have three cone cells in their eyes, which is one or two more than most other mammals. This trichromatic vision historically helped us pick out ripe fruit hidden in green leaves, which initially led to our positive association with red. But this feeling is no less strong today: A series of experiments found that both men and women perceive those of the opposite sex as more attractive when they wear red. Most simply associate red with love.

Yellow, meanwhile, is the most visible color in the spectrum. For many, it immediately evokes joy.

Red, yellow, and orange all have long wavelengths, which means our eyes perceive them as warm. This is in contrast to, say, the dark greens of summer, a “cool” color.

Does being “warm” make a color more emotionally resonant? Well, that depends on who you are; to some extent, a color’s resonance is in the eye of the beholder.

But researchers have found that warm colors generate more emotional arousal. No wonder fall’s so full of nostalgia and bittersweet reflection.

Why does fall deepen reflection?

During fall, there are reminders all around us of the cyclical nature of life. Trees shed their leaves. Days get shorter. Temperatures drop.

Our knowledge that these phenomena are impermanent helps us navigate the change of seasons. The shift from fall to winter can be especially challenging, as the coldest, darkest months are when seasonal affective disorder (SAD) peaks.

Yet awareness of the challenges ahead allows us to be grateful for what’s come before. Our reflections are often particularly deep during this time of year. At least one study found that our working memory is strongest in autumn.

Perhaps that’s why, for centuries, cultures around the world have celebrated this season with rituals of gratitude, release, and preparation. The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, for example, was a celebration of both the harvest and the beginning of the darker half of the year.

How can our brains benefit the most from autumn’s changes?

Here are a few ways you can savor the beauty of fall:

• Leaf journaling: Don’t just look up at all those vibrant canopies; gather leaves off the ground to mark different moments or memories throughout the season.
• Sunset sitting: Spend five minutes watching how this nightly wonder illuminates your surroundings and adds new hues to the landscape.
• Gratitude check-ins: Reflect on what’s come before and what’s on the horizon.
• Taking a fall-focused Awe Walk: Check out this feature in The Humane Space app, which opens your eyes to shifts in color, sound, and temperature.

No matter how you choose to spend your autumn, change will be a constant. Paying attention to these shifts will allow you to make the most of the season and reap emotional and cognitive rewards that can help sustain you long after the leaves fall.