Environmental conditions have long been recognized as influential factors in shaping human mood and behavior. Recent research highlights that seasonal variations and daily weather patterns not only affect individual well-being but may also play a significant role in prosocial tendencies such as helping and volunteering. The present study aims to systematically examine empirical research published between 2010 and 2025, focusing on how seasonality and weather conditions influence helping behavior and how well-being functions within this relationship.
A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the keywords seasonality, weather, helping behavior, prosocial behavior, and well-being in major databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO. Approximately 100 eligible studies were coded according to research method, type of environmental factor (season, temperature, sunlight, precipitation), form of helping behavior (volunteering, donations, social support, environmental help), the role of well-being (mediator, moderator, or direct effect), cultural context, and direction of results.
Preliminary findings suggest that helping behaviors tend to increase during spring and summer months as well as on sunny and mild days, while adverse conditions such as rain, cold, and darkness are associated with decreased prosocial actions. Well-being often emerged as a mediating factor: positive weather conditions enhanced individuals' well-being, which in turn fostered greater willingness to help others. Cultural context moderated these findings, with collectivist societies showing more stable prosocial tendencies across seasons.
This content analysis underscores the importance of integrating environmental and psychological perspectives, suggesting that well-being is a key mechanism linking seasonality, weather, and helping behavior.