Story and pictures by E.C. McRoy, Staff Reporter
Trent Toulouse, professor of psychology, said that there may be biology behind Cuffing Season.
He said that people are biologically more likely to have summer babies, because there would be a better chance for survival which means humans are more likely to get together in the winter.
Although people now have options to avoid pregnancy their minds have been wired to relate relationships with babies, he said.
People may not consciously think of why they want to be with someone in the winter, but biology may still be shaping people’s decisions, Toulouse said.
Dennis Escovedo, culinary arts major, suggests that people are going to do what they want no matter what the season is.
“Everyone’s brain is different, everyone thinks different,” said Escovedo.
Anthony Gonzales, electrical engineering major, doesn’t give much credit to the idea of a cuffing season, because the decisions people make are based on the individual and that person’s mentality.
School takes priority for Gonzales and keeps him from being depressed even though he isn’t in a relationship, he said.
“If I were in a relationship I would be depressed,” he said, because he would then have to split responsibilities between a relationship and school.
Rie Bailey, biology major, suggested that it could be the term itself causing cuffing season and does not see why there needs to be a name at all.
“The words itself are weird. Like, hand-cuffing? Stuck with someone season?” said Bailey.
Savannah Sandoval, psychology major, agreed that the term makes it seem like a relationship is a bad thing but argues that the individual decides if he or she wants to be stuck with someone.
Socially, people spend more time indoors during the cold months and there are the holidays, too, Professor Toulouse said.
According to Gonzales, the holidays are when everyone gets together, so there should not be a reason to be depressed or lonely and even those without family have friends to lean on.
“We don’t think of anything else, we just think of each other,” said Gonzales.
Escovedo said that if there are people and family surrounding a person then there should not be that pressure to be in a relationship.
Sometimes being in a relationship can take a person away from family, said Escovedo.
He said that people do not want to be alone on the holidays and those without family might make decisions based on this.
Sandoval said it likely has to do with the holidays, “You’re surrounded by family and how many of your family members have someone? And everyone’s always asking you when are you going to get someone, too.”
Both Bailey and Sandoval agreed that the end of the season could be caused by the pressure of Valentine’s Day and the expectations of the holiday.
Escovedo said that if people are together for a certain amount of time they are likely to develop deeper feelings for each other and a scheduled end of the relationship might change.
There may be seasonal mood shifts like depression and anxiety that are due to changes in the weather and how much sunlight people get, Toulouse said.
These changes have to do with a decrease in the naturally occurring chemicals that make us feel good and new relationships can produce some of the same things that make us feel good, he said.
Toulouse said more research would need to be done to reach a conclusion and suggests looking at a country with the same holidays but in the opposite hemisphere to look at the numbers on holidays versus weather.
