Fall is here and winter is quickly approaching. It’s that time of year where we put away our shorts and bathing suits to replace them with our flannels and scarves while sipping on pumpkin spice lattes, but can we add getting cuffed to the list of cold weather must-dos?
Among millennials, the phrase “cuffing season” has become increasingly popular. Cuffing season can be defined as the period between autumn and winter where single people are more likely to seek settled relationships rather than engage in casual affairs.
It’s strange to think that there could be a correlation between the weather and the status of someone’s relationships. If you pay enough attention, however, there is a growing rise in committed relationships during cold weather seasons versus seasons of warm weather.
With cold weather comes the holiday season where people tend to come together and spirits are high. Holidays like Christmas, Chanukah and New Years are events where people provide their loved ones with presents; there is no better recipient than a significant other.
You also can’t forget about the most essential holiday to relationships—Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is a commercialized holiday where couples shower each other with cliché heart-shaped presents, chocolate, flowers and jewelry. The crucial part to celebrating Valentine’s Day is having a significant other.
Now that we see our weather apps say below 45 degrees, we may expect that our prospective significant other might finally want to settle down. Yet, why does warm weather make settling down more difficult?
In the college culture where committed relationships are hard to come by, there is a prevalence of sexual promiscuity. Casual hookups among people between the ages of 18 to 25 has become “cool” and socially acceptable, whereas monogamous relationships are deemed as “lame.”
College students are submerged in an academic environment—they’re also within an environment saturated in sex, drugs and alcohol—that seems to peak during times of warm weather where the responsibility of a significant other doesn’t really fit.
The fun in the sun during spring and summer breaks involves meeting new people, being more active and relaxing more. These could be events that could potentially be hindered by a significant other.
There is a direct correlation between the weather and the increasing numbers of committed relationships. When it’s freezing outside, staying in with your significant other can be more tempting than going out to meet people and party. So, grab your pumpkin spice lattes and your favorite winter hat, and bring along your romantic prospect to spend the cold season with.