Is Cuffing Season A Real Thing? 5 Things Experts Want You To Know

"Cuffing" is a term based on the idea of getting "handcuffed" or tied down to one partner. It refers to when people get into relationships during the colder months of the year, even though they ordinarily wouldn't be interested in a commitment. Relationships formed during so-called "cuffing season" are usually short-term in nature and end once spring rolls around. The cold weather simply encourages people to look for a more steady and consistent partner to spend time with until the warmer seasons return, psychoanalyst Babita Spinelli, L.P. explains.

People seek relationships during cuffing season for both emotional and physical reasons, Richmond explains. "The emotional side is we've got the holidays [...] where people go home to their families, and some single people feel lonely or different or sad about not being coupled up," she says. "The physical side, I think, is more of an evolutionary biology piece. We're pack animals, and in the winter months, we had to spend time together literally for warmth."

Some research suggests people feel more lonely when the weather is cold1 in general, and interestingly enough, being cold makes people more interested in romantic movies. "Individuals are literally and psychologically seeking warmth during the colder months," Spinelli explains, "and those months elicit a longing to ensure they are not alone."

Cuffing season can get messy when people aren't on the same page. "Too often," Richmond notes, "one person is more invested than the other, and then feelings end up getting hurt." Be sure that both of you have aligned expectations and intentions around the relationship.

Spinelli notes that while it's normal to want a companion during the winter months, it's important to be aware of that tendency. "Try not to rush into a relationship if you notice an elevation of longing during the winter season," she says. Remember you can always lean on friends and family, and do activities you enjoy, to help with some of that loneliness and boredom.

Many people are uncomfortable with setting healthy boundaries. If you're starting to get the sense that you're caught up in a cuffing relationship, and you're not on board with that, it's on you to say so. "Pay attention to what's actually happening in the relationship, and not what you want to happen," Richmond says, adding to hold that boundary yourself when necessary.

Now, if the two of you are on the same page about this being a temporary thing, and you're both OK with that, let it be and enjoy it for what it is. "It's almost like imagining a beautiful container around those four to five months, of the relationship," Richmond explains, "but knowing it has its time and place."

Just because you got together during cuffing season doesn't mean the two of you have no shot at a long-term relationship. It's entirely possible, and there are definitely indicators that you're headed in a good direction. If your relationship doesn't have the typical signs of cuffing listed above and instead features a lot more emotional availability and intimacy, fun dates and affection, long-term plans, and so on, there's a good chance your relationship has staying power.

And of course, how does this person treat you? Are they loving and warm? Do they respect and admire you? Importantly, do they go out of their way for you, and put effort into your relationship? "Usually a 'cuffer' will not invest beyond the minimum," Spinelli says. If someone is clearly investing in you, that's a good sign.