Why do we love pumpkin spice so much? We ‘fall’ for it.

By Madeline Reinsel

Today is the first day of fall, which heralds cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, shorter days - and pumpkin spice.

Sure, Starbucks started serving its famous pumpkin spice lattes in the sweltering heat of late August, but the pumpkin spice products that flood menus and grocery shelves each year are most associated with the fall season. So, how exactly does the flavor help scratch that autumnal itch?

Virginia Commonwealth University neuroscientist Catherine Franssen, Ph.D. studies the neuroscience of everyday life - and that includes how smells and tastes influence our brain chemistry.

"There's a surprising amount of neuroscience packed into pumpkin spice," said Franssen, an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability in the College of Humanities and Sciences. Among the components, she cited "smell and memory, nostalgia, reward, seasonal cues, consumer behavior- and some remarkably effective neuromarketing."

Franssen said the flavor helps us effortlessly slip into autumn, bypassing normal seasonal changes.

"That first pumpkin spice latte can function almost like a neurological shortcut to fall: one sip and suddenly our brains are ready for sweaters, changing leaves and everything we associate with the season," she said.

VCU News spoke to Franssen to learn more about the flavor's enduring influence.

How does pumpkin spice flavoring prime us for fall?

Our brains love seasonal cues, even when the weather hasn't gotten the memo. The smell and taste of pumpkin spice are strongly associated with fall, and those familiar sensory cues can activate memories, emotions and expectations built over years of autumn experiences. Our brains are prediction machines, and seasonal rituals help signal what comes next, creating a sense of familiarity and anticipation.

That means a pumpkin spice latte in August can actually start making us feel like fall is coming, even if it is still 90 degrees outside. The weather may say summer, but our brains have learned that pumpkin spice predicts what comes next.

What makes pumpkin spice itself so autumnal?

Interestingly, there is nothing inherently autumnal about pumpkin spice. What we call pumpkin spice is generally some combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice, most of which historically came from tropical regions of the world. These are not spices growing alongside pumpkins in an idyllic American pumpkin patch.

The fall association is something we learned. These spices became common in pumpkin pie and other baked goods associated with harvest celebrations, Thanksgiving and cooler weather. Over years of repeated exposure, those smells and flavors become connected to a much larger network of autumn experiences.

Eventually, we don't just smell cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. We smell fall. That is learned association at work.

"We don't just smell cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. We smell fall."

And why is it that we love fall?

Fall is particularly rich in sensory cues. The temperature changes. The light changes. Leaves change color and texture. We pull out different clothes, eat different foods and return to familiar routines and traditions. There is a lot of information telling our brains that something is changing.

I also think there is an interesting balance between change and predictability. Fall is different enough from summer to get our attention, but we've done this before. We know what comes next. For people who have positive associations with the season, those familiar cues can bring back memories and emotions from many previous autumns.

Of course, that experience isn't universal. The brain isn't inherently wired to love fall. Our individual histories matter, and the associations we have built over time shape how we respond to these seasonal cues.

What happens in our brains when we taste a pumpkin spice latte, or step on a crisp fall leaf?

Our brains are integrating much more information than we consciously notice. With a pumpkin spice latte, there is smell and taste, but also temperature, texture, sweetness and the visual appearance of the drink. Stepping on a crisp leaf gives us visual information, the sensation under our foot and that sound of a very satisfying crunch. The brain combines all of that with memories and expectations to create the experience.

Reward systems are also learning from these experiences. We often talk about dopamine as though it simply makes us feel good, but dopamine is heavily involved in learning, motivation and anticipation. If your brain has learned that pumpkin spice, crisp leaves or other fall cues predict experiences you enjoy, those cues can start to become rewarding themselves. Anticipating something we like is part of the experience.

Why do we come back for the pumpkin spice latte year after year?

There is something especially powerful about the fact that pumpkin spice is temporary. We know it won't be available forever, which can make it feel more special and rewarding when it returns. Scarcity matters, but so does anticipation.

In fact, taking pumpkin spice away, as Starbucks does each year, may be almost as important as bringing it back. We spend months without it, and then suddenly it returns. That creates an opportunity for anticipation that an everyday product simply doesn't have. Its return has become a seasonal cue in its own right.

And then we reinforce the association again. We drink pumpkin spice while the weather changes, leaves turn, Halloween approaches and all those other familiar fall experiences are happening around us. The next year, the association is there waiting for us.

From a learning and reward perspective, it is a remarkably effective cycle. And from a marketing perspective, it is pretty brilliant.