Is winter really the season of romance?

 Is winter really the season of romance?

People are opportunistic in their social and sexual behavior, not seasonal. If the opportunity to have sex comes up, most people don't miss it.

In the winter, the swiping time on dating apps is the highest and people are more likely to find a partner.

People's sexual behavior is not dependent on the weather, social, cultural and family pressures determine the cuffing season.

Scientists have said that the lack of serotonin and oxytocin in winter motivates people to seek warmth and relationships.

Every year, with the onset of winter, a special trend starts, which is called 'cuffing season' in today's dating world.

Cuffing season is the season where singles look for love in the winter. But is there any scientific basis behind it?

Let me start by saying that I am not promoting any kind of inappropriate behavior. I am just talking about the culture known as 'cuffing season'.

Singles spend the summer enjoying themselves freely, but as November and December arrive, everyone suddenly feels the need for a partner. A partner to keep them company on cold nights, to dance with under the bright lights, or to take to family events so that no relative can spoil the meal by asking about their dating life and making them feel lonely.

People deliberately seek relationships during this season. This is called the ‘cuffing season’, as the term comes from the idea that it is difficult to escape when you are cuffed. The term has been around since 2009. ‘Cuffed’ means that we are now in a committed relationship.

Is it just a joke or do people really seek partners more in the winter? If so, does this behavior tell us anything about psychology and evolutionary biology?

The cuffing season refers to the idea that human sexual behavior changes with the seasons, says Christine Kellams, a psychology professor at San Jose State University in California.

The relationship between holidays and romance

Scientists are divided on why this is the case. “If you look at current trends, searches for pornographic content, dating websites and even sex workers increase twice a year, not just in the winter but also in the summer,” Kellams says.

A 2012 study of internet searches for sex-related terms found that these terms were more frequently searched for during the peak of winter and summer.

Another study in the 1990s tried to find out if the mood for sex also changed with the seasons. To do this, the researchers looked at four factors: children born out of wedlock, abortions, sexually transmitted infections and condom sales.

The study found that there was an increase in sexual activity and unprotected sex during the Christmas period. However, there are no recent studies to determine whether this trend is still going strong.

Again, the data from dating apps is clear: the winter months are when people are most likely to connect with a partner. According to a study by dating app Bumble, the peak time for swiping on the app is from late November to mid-February – the perfect time to break up on Valentine’s Day.

According to researchers, a day filled with set expectations and traditional pressures can actually tear relationships apart rather than strengthen them.

Justin Garcia is the executive director of the Kinsey Institute, an interdisciplinary research center focused on sexuality and relationships at Indiana University. He is also the author of the book “The Intimate Animal.” “We know that people associate the holidays with romance,” he says.

Garcia is also a scientific advisor to dating website Match.com. “Online dating is year-round,” he says. “There are millions and millions of swipes and messages every day, but it really takes off in the winter months.”

It’s not hard to imagine why – perhaps because you’re stuck indoors, it’s cold outside, and the only way to meet new people is on the phone, so you’re likely to find someone while you’re swiping.

People are opportunistic

We can look to our closest animals to see if dating is seasonal. Many animals give birth to their babies according to the season. Have humans evolved in a similar way?

According to Sue Carter, a distinguished scientist and retired professor of biology at Indiana University, there are some species of animals that give birth according to the season. Cows, for example. Their gestation period is very long, so they only give birth in the spring so that there’s fresh green grass around when the babies arrive.”

Birds do the same. But are humans the same?

“Humans are opportunistic in their social and sexual behavior,” says Sue Carter. We are not seasonal in this regard. If the opportunity to have sex comes up, most people will not turn it down.

She says that seasonal fluctuations in birth rates confirm this. The highest number of babies are born in the US in September. This is due to the Christmas and New Year holidays, says Randy Nelson, professor and chair of neurological research at West Virginia University.

Professor Nelson says that there is no such breeding season in humans based on any biological reason. He says that any surge can occur and that it is always due to social or cultural reasons.

More In indigenous, farming communities, the highest number of children are born exactly 9 months after the harvest.

Research shows that in countries with cold climates, such as the UK, people's mental health is slightly weaker during the winter. The days are shorter, there is very little sunlight, and it is very cold, so people stay indoors most of the time. This leads to loneliness and depression. Less sunlight causes less serotonin in our brains.

Serotonin is a special neurotransmitter that regulates our biological clock. Its function is to keep our sleep and wake cycles in order and improve our mood. If serotonin is low, both the whole body and mind become sluggish. A lack of serotonin directly affects our biological activity.

Changes in dating culture

People who live in very cold places live almost like living in a cave during the winter, says Professor Nelson Saral. Many people have a daily routine of waking up in the dark, working in artificial light all day, and returning home in the dark again in the evening. Our body clock needs bright sunlight 24 hours a day to function properly, but it doesn’t get that in the winter.

Perhaps that’s why people look for ways to make themselves feel better. That’s why people look for romance in the winter, says Professor Nelson.

‘The disruption of the body’s circadian rhythm also leads to symptoms such as depression and a lack of certain hormones. This includes oxytocin, as well as reduced activity and response in the brain related to dopamine and serotonin,’ says Professor Nelson. ‘So I think in the winter the mind starts thinking to itself, I need some dopamine, I need some oxytocin.’ He argues that people are more likely to form a relationship with this person when they think they can make me happy.

Oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. It contributes to motherhood, developing social relationships and reducing stress. It is released from the pituitary gland in our brain and mixes with the bloodstream. And it makes us feel happy.

‘Humans are very social creatures. We build villages, build cities, build civilizations, and our bodies have a special system for this, says Sue Carter, “Oxytocin brings us closer to each other and keeps us close.”

Physical touch, such as hugging and having sex, also increases oxytocin very quickly. That’s why first love or honeymoon feels so good.

Body temperature also plays its own role. Men and women have different ways of feeling hot and cold.

Women have more fat between their skin and muscles, which prevents heat from reaching their skin, hands, feet, and the tip of their nose properly, and their metabolism is a little slower than men’s, meaning their bodies produce less heat.

“So in the winter, it’s probably because my mind thinks I need someone to warm my hands and feet,” says Nelson. It may be a subconscious process, but it can happen.

If nothing else, Garcia says that “cuffing season” gives us a chance to learn about our relationships with our loved ones.

“Especially during the holidays, when we’re surrounded by family and friends, it gives us a chance to pause and think,” Garcia says. “Who do I want to go home with on vacation? What kind of person do I want?”

When it comes to love and marriage, he says, there are a lot of family concerns and pressures. “When we’re with our loved ones, we’re constantly reminded that society expects us to have a spouse and a family,” Garcia says. “It’s a feeling that only humans have.”

So is there scientific evidence for cuffing season? I don’t completely agree. I agree with the experts’ argument that people’s sexual behavior is not dependent on the season. Social and cultural context, family pressures, holiday blues, the desire to be happy, the idea of ​​having someone to keep you warm in the cold, etc. determine this.

Now, when it comes to modern dating, especially Gen G and millennials, they are reevaluating relationships. Trends come and go. The declining effectiveness of dating apps is a big proof of this.

While it used to be exciting. Swiping through hundreds of profiles in a local area, now it has become boring.

According to a survey published in the summer of 2025 by Forbes Health, 78 percent of dating app users in the United States sometimes, often or always feel emotionally, mentally or physically exhausted. The dating culture is changing a lot.

“I think a big reason is that young people these days are more focused on fulfilling their potential,” says Garcia. Especially young people think – first I have to fix myself, set a career, be mentally strong and only then I will go into a relationship.’

But remember, humans are social creatures. We mature in relationships. We make mistakes in relationships, we learn, we understand who we are and what we need. Relationships are the vessel in which we mature, we improve.

So maybe I should start swiping too. Actually, I am not the kind of person who gets into relationships a lot.