Sachi Singh

Summer is the season of sleeping after midnight and waking up after noon. It is the season of sun-kissed beaches, ice cream, and a well-deserved break from school. While that time off can feel like a blessing, many wonder if it could be disadvantageous to the learning that goes on during the other nine months of the year. 

But here is the million-dollar question: does summer make us dumber?

It’s common knowledge that most of us put off our summer reading until the last week of school. We throw our textbooks into the deep end of our closet and forget every formula we learned in our math class; who needs them when it’s finally time to relax and hang out with friends? As a result of this, it isn’t much of a surprise when students can’t remember information from the previous year when they go back to school. The question is: why? Does the brain take a break when you decide to take a break? 

We all know the feeling when you walk into class on the first day and the teacher starts reviewing material from the previous year, but for some reason, you don’t remember any of it. For most, this can cause feelings of stress and anxiety; students start feeling like they don’t deserve to stay in a class because it is harder to catch up. The truth is, since the brain is a muscle, you either “use it or lose it.” Since students tend to stop reviewing content when they’re done with a class, it is harder to retain the information throughout the summer break. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean we get less intelligent. 

Intelligence is not just academically measured. Although it is important to review some content over the summer (so you don’t feel the pressure of starting a new school year), you don’t need to stress yourself out and study nonstop. The things you did over the summer probably exercised your brain enough; for example, the brain stays engaged when you go outdoors, experiment with new recipes, read, write, play sports, and do anything that challenges you. Challenging ourselves with new activities and experiences is a way to work out our brains and make ourselves smarter (in a more unconventional way). 

It might feel like everything you learned over the past year is stagnating in your brain during the summer, but as long as you continue to engage your mind in exciting and challenging new activities, you are actually getting smarter! So next time you can’t understand anything in class and it feels like you “lost brain cells” from June to September, remember that you simply trained your brain in other areas beyond trigonometry. But just in case… make sure you review your material over the summer!