What Is ‘Cuffing Season’?

Written by co-founder Ella Farlinger – without the use of ChatGPT. It was hard.

New Year, new you - which for some people may mean a boo-ed up you. That’s right, we’re talking Cuffing Season™️. Now, whether it’s purely the threat of colder weather, holiday sentimentality, or simply another year around the sun motivating your search for a mate, something about the late-fall-into-winter period seems to drive a spike in relationships. While we’ve seem to accept the term in popular culture, let’s take a deep dive into this phenomenon.

Where does the term ‘cuffing season’ come from?

Publications from Vox and Vice alike have attributed the popularization of the term ‘cuffing season’ to artist Musa Murchison while hosting the radio show Because We Said So Radio at Brooklyn College back in 2008. However, Murchison doesn’t claim to be the inventor of this term and insists that it had been common in New York City vernacular for a long time.

Regardless of the precise origin, ‘cuffing season’ has been used for over a decade to refer to the period in the winter months where people want to link up or [hand]cuff themselves to a partner. To harp on semantics a moment here: the romantic in me is resistant to the image of cuffing for partnership. It’s giving restriction, co-dependency. But the kinky part of me is intrigued. I feel like Domingo in the Short n’ Sweet Tour.

Are there actual statistics that support cuffing season?

I come from a sociological background, so I am alway interested in what social norms and structures might influence people’s behaviours. An appealing theory considers the unusual concentration of holidays in this period. With Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day all occurring in the span of just fifteen weeks, people may feel increased pressure to find someone to celebrate with. Sex therapist Dr. Holly Richmond agrees, as stated in Women’s Health Mag, emphasizing the influence of holiday events and movies in pressuring people to cuff it for the winter.

Putting theory aside, let’s look at some actual statistics that support cuffing season. For one, Tinder downloads see surges annually in December and January – there is also a similar spike in July and August, demonstrating the power of Cuffing Season’s wild sister: Hot Girl Summer. Vox reporters also spoke with Alison Gemmill, a prenatal epidemiologist who pointed out the increase in births in August and September, meaning conception in November and December. Given that concrete data around what months relationships form is relatively scarce, Leo & Virgo babies and Tinder downloads are our current best measures for cuffing season’s legitimacy. I’m sure there’s also an anthropological explanation in there somewhere. Maybe our ancestors were spooning for survival purposes in Palaeolithic frosty caves.

How do I win cuffing season?

As a woman who has been cuffed for almost five years now, I’m probably not the best person to ask. I consulted my co-founder Serina, who has been reluctantly participating in the cruel game of dating for some months now. Here’s what she has to say:

“You know what, it makes sense. It’s perfect to have a warm body next to you when it’s cold. But what I think a lot of people are missing is that you don’t have to fall in love with this person.” Indeed, you can link up with a cutie for your work holiday party and then, as Serina’s puts it, “You can always get rid of them in April.” Call it spring cleaning.

In the end, love is about companionship. You don’t always have to cuff with someone who you want to marry. You might literally be that caveperson just trying to keep your vital organs warm. Bottom line: be good to each other and if you’re looking to cuff or be cuffed, always make sure you’re having conversations about safe sex and how to keep each other healthy. And get tested! God forbid you have to call that loser back after your spring cleaning with some unfortunate news!