You’ve likely heard the term “cuffing season” thrown around once the leaves turn and the weather gets cold. This will tell you what it really means and give you a guide to participating.
By Jayne Turner – Staff Writer
Definitions
Urban Dictionary provides a few different definitions, but generally, it is the time of year when people start seeking out relationships. It is the short period of time during the colder months that we seek companionship.
When the phrase first gained traction, a meme went around with the “cuffing season schedule.” This defined the months from August to February with different activities. August marks the start of “scouting,” “cuffing season” is December 1 to January 15th, and the “championship game” is February 14th, Valentine’s Day. It also had a disclaimer at the bottom that reads: “schedule subject to change due to feelings.”
Where did this meme come from, and is it legit?
You may also like this movie viewing guide for the watch of the season: Wicked.
Origin of the Phrase
Initially popularized in college newspapers in 2011, this phrase has been used for decades.
Multiple pop songs, such as “Big Boy by SZA and “Cuffing Season” by Eric Bellinger, mention the season specifically. As it made its way into the cultural zeitgeist, it has been featured in more and more songs. All these artists saying that “it’s cuffing season” and “cuffing season is here” has us wondering what time of year they really mean.
When is it?
Cuffing season is agreed to begin the “-ber” months: from October to December. As summer ends, people are drawn to being in relationships, partly due to the cold weather and the prospect of cozy romantic activities on the horizon. This can cause people to seek out short-term committed relationships to carry them through the winter.
It ends between February and March, just surpassing Valentine’s Day, before the weather warms up again. After keeping each other warm all winter, you may find that you’re just not that into them.
As per the “Cuffing Season Schedule” meme, these months are all subject to change.
Read about this celebrity relationship that has lasted here.
The Psychology
The cold, dark winter months cause a drop in serotonin and increased feelings of loneliness that coincide with the desire to find a partner. Evolutionarily, this makes sense. We want to stay warm, and we know that more body heat is better. Even in the age of space heaters, that caveman part of your brain still yearns for another person’s body heat.
Who knew cuffing was actually necessary for survival?
Another reason why cuffing season happens year after year is the power of association. With countless Christmas songs sweetly requesting that a lover return home for Christmas or that Santa please leave them someone under the tree, we seem to return to relationships like clockwork.
That is, being in a relationship just “feels right” in the winter, the same way being single feels right in the summer. When you’re going out and having fun, you don’t want to think about a partner. Now that the days are short, we want someone to spend the night with, cozy, indoors.
Data shows increased activity on dating apps during cuffing season, proving that we are all just humans craving connection.
Whether you’re looking for a Christmas dinner companion or just someone to snuggle up and watch movies with, you are more likely to find someone with similar relationship goals during cuffing season.
—
Author: Jayne Turner is a freelance writer from Orange, California. She has a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with an emphasis on language and cognition. She has ten years of musical theatre experience and a lifelong love of reading. Utterly excited by the brain, she brings a fresh Gen Z perspective to the topics that intrigue us most.
