Things Only Pluviophiles Will Understand

There are those of us who get perky and happy when the sun is out and the clouds look like pieces of fluff that are hung up like decorations against a bright blue sky. Then there are those of us who find the most joy when the weather is passionately angry, with rain lashing against our windows, winds howling, lighting cracking across the sky, and thunder rolling and bellowing not far behind. If the thought of a rainy day brings you more joy than the idea of sunshine, then you're most definitely a pluviophile.

The word "pluviophile" comes from the Latin word "pluvia" (rain) and "phile" (enthusiast). Pluviophiles have been around for a while, but they may not be as vocal about being excited about rainy weather as folks from Camp Sunshine are about being downcast because it's not "a nice day out." 

If pluviophiles were allowed to vote for a specific type of weather, we'd see days filled with gray skies, hear the sound of rain pattering against roof and windows, and our noses would be filled with the smell of wet leaves and damp earth, particularly if you lived in the countryside or close to a green, grassy park (via Pluviophile).

While we hear of people becoming affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the fall and winter seasons all the time, we're not as likely to hear about folks coming down with SAD in the spring and summer, but they do (via PsychCentral). And unless you count apps with rain sounds, there really isn't a gadget that can help those who get SAD when the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Does it help to sit in the darkness with rain noises playing in the background? Probably not, but pluviophiles may take what they can get.

Paul Dolan, professor of behavioral science at the London School of Economics, doesn't buy into the theory that gloomy weather makes people, well, gloomy. To prove his point, he quotes a study of happiness levels of people in California with people who live in the Northwest. "They expected that people in California would be happier because it is more sunny but they found that levels of happiness were exactly the same," he says (via The Telegraph). "If it is sunny everyday you get used to it and the sunshine doesn't make you any happier." 

So take that, Camp Sunshine.