Amelia Albrecht explores why students feel the urge to pair up when it gets cold outside.
Pairing up when it’s cold outside is a cliche people have fallen into since the dawn of time. That’s why it has become what it is today, but there is more to it than the social aspect. Falling in love, or into a relationship, during autumn and winter is an adaptive urge underlying this societal cliche.
Finding a partner during these cold months has had numerous evolutionary benefits. Having an extra source of warmth, more people to find food, and a companion to care for you if you fall ill are just a few. But as time went on and humans evolved, many of these benefits persisted with a social twist that has created the cliche we know, and possibly love, today.
Autumn and winter have become progressively more romanticised by holidays, movies, and social media. This, combined with biological urges, has turned a biological need into a societal want.
Whether we like it or not, idealised couple content fills our feeds during this time of year; photos of couples almost doubling, ads for “what to get your special someone” pop up on every website, and videos of what to make or get for your partner are everywhere. However, this content isn't a new thing.
For well over a century now, the bombardment of promoting romantic relationships during these cold months has been incredibly consistent. With advertisements, TV shows, and movies all promoting the ideal of not being alone during this season. We now have romantic movies with titles that connect them to the season, like The Holiday or Four Christmases. Not to mention the movies that we have all associated with the season: When Harry Met Sally, Love Actually, and so many more. With all this pressure coming from not only society, but our own bodies, it is inevitable that we would yearn for, if not get into, a relationship during this time.
With the continued growth of romanticising the colder seasons throughout generations it makes sense that some theories would arise from it. People have theorised that the holidays following these seasons have secret meanings: New Years is seen as a “coming to’ moment, showing you that the relationship was made for a fixed period of time and should not be brought into the new year, while Valentine's Day is thought to be a reward for the “true” couples that make it out of the pushed romantic period of time.
So whether it is love, lust, or just cuffing season, enjoy this time in whatever way suits you; watch a cozy movie and enjoy the coming holidays (alone or together) and look forward to the new year!