Somewhere between mid-November and March, a phenomenon known as ‘cuffing season’ emerges. This has nothing to do with actual handcuffs, but more about being metaphorically attached to a romantic partner.
As the nights get longer and the memories of summer start to fade away, many of us feel an overwhelming desire to settle down and hibernate, and suddenly even though you thought you were happily single you find yourself longing for cosy nights in with a significant other. Here are a few things that happen when we fall into the trap of cuffing season.
You start feeling a false sense of loneliness You’ve been single all year but for some reason now that it’s getting colder it’s as though you suddenly feel your singleness so much more. What is it about long winter evenings that make you realise just how single you are and how yet another Friday night has gone by with no date? 2. All you start to see on Instagram are #couplegoals Instagram suddenly looks like a Tinder conversation six months on. Is it just you or is the world and his wife in a relationship? People who you genuinely thought would be perpetually single – or at least would be single way after you – are now in relationships and are showing it all over social media. Flashy dates, winter sun getaways, nights in with pizza and X Factor – suddenly it seems painfully appealing.
The ex slides into your messages Usually under the guise of jokey insults (my personal favourite being ‘hey, big head!’), but inevitably you’ll receive at least one text, WhatsApp or DM from an ex. It’s as though the sudden drop in temperature to single figures has jogged their memory about how good you were to them. Now they want to come back, walk down memory lane and feel the false security of familiarity, and it can be all too easy to fall for. 4. You scramble for someone to pretend you’re dating for the pictures There is literally nothing to make you crave a date more than a local Christmas market. Mulled wine, ice skating, steaming sausages and chunky knitwear all make for great photos, especially after you pick the right filter. Just think of how glorious your Instagram grim will look – you’ll be the envy of all your other single friends, right? 5. You realise it’s all an illusion really anyway At some point during cuffing season you’ll find yourself on a night out with your other single friends and realise that actually you’re perfectly happy just as you are. The cold weather and manufactured social media reality aren’t a good reason to get into a relationship anyway.