PLUVIOPHILIA: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

Pluviophilia is a neologism used to designate people who have a special fascination for rain and everything related to it. It is usually used especially in popular areas, and has not yet been included in any official dictionary or in a manual dedicated to mental disorders.

Unlike most of the filias -which refer to psychological illnesses related to an unusual sexual attraction-, the pluviophilia does not usually have an erotic character in its content. People who say they have it do so in positive terms most of the time.

Despite the fact that in practically all cases the rainfall does not cause practically any problem, it is necessary to understand exactly what it consists of in order to compare it with the rest of the existing filias. Only in this way can it be decided if it is a normal behavior, or if on the contrary it shows the existence of a disorder.

Symptoms

People who consider themselves to be rainphiles or rainphiles say they have an inordinate love and fascination with rain. In this way, instead of seeing it as something negative, those who have this characteristic are happy when the weather starts to be bad.

This results in a series of behaviors that differentiate the pluviofílicos from other people. Next we will see the most important ones:

They feel relaxed listening to the rain

Because they are very attracted to rainy weather, people with this characteristic often associate their sound with a state of calm and inner peace. Therefore, it is not uncommon for them to listen to recordings to relax and avoid moods such as anxiety or stress.

On the other hand, in the event of a storm, it is also common for these people to stop what they are doing to dedicate themselves to listening to it for a longer or shorter time.

They go outside, even at the risk of getting wet

Unlike people who run for shelter when it starts to rain or go out with an umbrella if they have no other choice, rain fans are so attracted to this meteorological phenomenon that they prefer to get wet rather than take shelter under a roof.

They associate well-being with this climate

In general, the most remarkable characteristic of rainforest people is that they feel a deep well-being whenever they are in the presence of rain.

This would go against what happens to a lot of people, who associate rainy weather with a sad or listless state of mind.

Causes

Because rainfall does not usually cause any negative consequences, it has not been studied in depth to discover why it may be caused.

However, like any other difference in taste, the reasons for which this characteristic arises can be diverse.

In general, psychology considers that individual differences are caused mainly by two complementary forces: biology and learning.

biology

There are a large number of physical factors that can be involved in the formation of a person's particular tastes and preferences. These include the genetic load of each one and the presence of different levels of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body.

These two factors can cause enormous differences in the personality and way of being of an individual, reason why it is believed that they can have a great weight in the appearance of the pluviophilia.

Learning

On the other hand, biology does not serve as the sole explanatory factor for most characteristics of people. For decades, psychologists have known that the experiences we live throughout our lives greatly influence how we interpret different situations.

For example, a person who as a child lived very good experiences in a rainy climate would be more predisposed to be attracted to this meteorological phenomenon. On the other hand, she could also have carried out this apprenticeship in a vicarious way, if she observed some figure of reference that was attracted by the rain.

As you can see, there is no single cause for the appearance of pluviophilia; On the contrary, we would be talking about a whole set of factors that can favor a person being attracted to rainy days.

Possible consequences

In general, the consequences caused by rainfall are completely harmless. Because of this, in general it cannot be classified as a true philia or as another type of mental disorder. However, sometimes an inordinate love for the rain can cause some annoying or even negative effects.

For example, a person whose rainfall was taken to the extreme would only feel comfortable on days with rainy weather. This could cause negative consequences on your mood, even in some cases to anxiety and depression if you live in a very sunny place.

On the other hand, since most people are not only not rainy but also do not usually feel comfortable with the rain, those who do possess these characteristics may feel misunderstood. In the worst cases, this could lead to social isolation that had very harmful effects on your life.

When is treatment necessary?

In the vast majority of cases, people who claim to have rainfall would not need to undergo any type of treatment. This is because a love of rain is often simply the result of particular tastes and affinities.

However, as in the case of any other personality-related trait, rainforest enthusiasts may need the help of a specialist when this characteristic prevents them from leading a normal life.

This can happen if their excessive attraction to the rain interferes with their daily activities or makes them unable to relate properly to others.

However, in most of the occasions in which this occurs, pluviophilia would be closely related to another already existing psychological disorder.

References

1. "What is a pluviophile?" in: Word Hippo. Retrieved on: May 25, 2018 from Word Hippo: wordhippo.com.
2. "Pluviophile" in: Your Dictionary. Retrieved on: May 25, 2018 from Your Dictionary: yourdictionary.com.
3. "7 Signs you are a pluviophile" in: Thought Catalog. Retrieved on: May 25, 2018 from Thought Catalog: thoughtcatalog.com.
4. "12 Signs You're Most Definitely A Pluviophile" at: BuzzFeed. Retrieved on: May 25, 2018 from BuzzFeed: buzzfeed.com.
5. "15 -Philes and What They Love" in: Mental Floss. Retrieved on: May 25, 2018 from Mental Floss: mentalfloss.com.