Why Does British Summertime Make Us All Feral?
By Tenai Palomino
Southend-on-Sea, UK, during the 2022 heatwave
You’re thinking the answer is obvious: because we’re starved of sunshine. You’re not wrong but you’re only scratching the surface. While our infamously soul-crushing environment offers an easy explanation, there’s real (social) science behind why we all go completely batshit during the summertime.
Britain is in a temperate climate zone, meaning mild temperatures and wet conditions are our norm. Our high altitude results in cooler temperatures, and we’re prone to clouds and rain due to mountainous regions in the north and west causing the wind to rise and cool. We’re not really used to sunshine and warm weather, so we tend to make the most of it. And by make the most of it, I mean we practically start foaming at the mouth for it.
Garden sunbathing is a UK summertime tradition
Natural Instinct
In the UK, with summer comes carnage. Our summer weather is almost endearingly unpredictable. Clear skies and warm rays create a collective frenzy to immediately get out and soak up every drop. It goes without saying that we’re starved of vitamin D, so this could be a genuine biological response to replenish what we’re lacking.
Vitamin D is more important for the body than we might think. It helps us absorb calcium from our diet, maintain bone strength, and boost the immune system, among other benefits. But sunlight exposure is also essential for our minds. It triggers our brains to produce serotonin, the “happy hormone.” This is why so many of us feel lighter and brighter when summer comes around, when our days become longer after months of darkness, and the world is temporarily and naively put to right.
The sweaty haven of the UK beer garden
The Thrills
Not only are we now feeling biologically and chemically supercharged, but we’re also anticipating what summer brings. From Wimbledon to Notting Hill Carnival, summer holidays to Love Island, we’ve all got things we look forward to when summer comes around. This builds a palpable excitement that we not only feel in ourselves, but project on and absorb from those around us. And then you add alcohol to the equation.
Although teetotallers are on the rise, especially among Gen Z, British people are notoriously boozy. England is the birthplace of the pub after all. When alcohol gets added to an already sun-crazed, overly optimistic population, that’s when everyone we meet becomes our best friend, and we convince ourselves we’ve finally found the meaning of life, only to forget it the next morning.
Summertime in Trafalgar Square, London
When It's Not Fun Anymore
Prolonged and high heat very quickly becomes a problem in the UK. We’re not built for this - literally. Our homes trap heat, our public transport fails, and our healthcare systems strain under heat-related illnesses. Suddenly we’re less patient, less tolerant, and less able to pretend this is normal for us.
As of late July 2026, the UK is now entering its fourth heatwave of the season. Each of this year’s previous heatwaves has brought temperatures exceeding 30°C for multiple days in a row. Last month was Western Europe’s hottest June in history. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, it’s staring us all right between the eyes. Climate change horror stories are starting to play out, scenarios many of us thought would be problems for our grandchildren. This is probably the coolest summer we’ll have for the rest of our lives.
The solution isn’t to campaign for air conditioning on all tube lines, or to sleep in front of a fan all night long. It's not to make climate change more comfortable for us to endure – it's to make real, tangible steps to fight it. World leaders have repeatedly shown the environment is not a priority, but we can still make it one of ours.
A demonstration with Extinction Rebellion (XR), a climate action direct action group in the UK
Our Summers Are Worth Saving
As far gone as it may be, there are still everyday habits we can adopt to ease our burden on the environment. Things you might already know, like turning the tap off while you brush your teeth, and things you might not, like deleting old emails that still consume energy in the background. You can learn more about your carbon footprint here and how to reduce it here.
On an individual level, these changes feel insignificant. But collectively, they can lead to a substantially reduced demand for energy. Even if you ate vegetarian meals for just one day a month, you’re making a choice that, when multiplied by millions, can create a monumental difference.
British summertime is messy, spontaneous, and unruly – just the way we like it. But we risk losing the very thing that makes it so sacred. The collective joy we share throughout the season depends on a planet that can sustain it. The question isn’t whether we love summer enough to really enjoy it, it’s whether we love it enough to protect it.
Tenai (pronounced te-nay) Palomino (she/her) is a West Midlands-born, London-based writer, editor, and self-proclaimed pop culture fiend. She is the Lifestyle Editor for girlblog!.
With international journalism experience and a background in fashion and culture writing, she has written extensively on emerging creatives and ideas that fuel our ever-changing cultural landscape.
Having interviewed a wide range of artists, Tenai is drawn to deepening her understanding of the world through the creatives contributing to it. She continues to explore how entertainment and the media influence the way we connect and engage, while balancing her love for the latest horror releases and throwback reality TV.