What is Cuffing Season?

Image credit: Britta Miller for The Campus Trainer

Okay, so maybe you’ve heard the hype: as the weather gets colder, leaves fall and more people seem to be getting into relationships. Cuffing season is upon us, and some University of Maryland students have shared their take on this special time of year.

For sophomore information science major Andrew Ferguson, plainy, cuffing season is when “people get lonely as it gets darker and colder and decide that they want to be with someone.”

He also noted that it seems to be “largely a goofy construct made up by college students, do what you want regardless of the time of year.”

UMD alumnus Gabe Saryee expressed a similar feeling to Ferguson about the season. He said that “during this time, desperate men start a quest for someone they can go on dates with and do things that couples usually do, then breakup with them in the summer to start the cycle again.”

Dr. Dylan Selterman, a UMD psychology professor, got his Ph.D. in Social/Health Psychology from Stony Brook University in 2011. His thoughts on cuffing season are contrary to most people's thoughts.

“Some dating sites have published their own data showing an uptick in activity as the weather starts to get colder, but scientists have also shown that the likelihood of sex and relationships is higher when the weather is warmer, simply because there are more people outside, so the probability of any type of encounter is higher,” Selterman said.

He made the point that most people see cooler weather for relationships and warmer months for hookups.

However, he noted that he hasn’t seen consistent studies pointing to either type of weather as the source of increase in romantic or sexual behavior.

“I think there’s good reason to suspect increases in such behavior in cold and warm months, but the evidence is not conclusive either way,” Selterman said.

So, to be cuffed, or not to be cuffed? Is it all just hype, or is this an actual phenomenon? It looks like science can’t even answer that. So, do what’s right for you and whether you find yourself cuddled up in the cold or left out in the cold, remember that at one point or another, relationships are a part of everyone’s life, and no one’s life is perfect.