Is your kid “cuffed?” If the answer is yes, don’t panic—they’re not in any trouble with the law. Rather, your cuffed child is just romantically tied down to another person.
From “Cuffing Szn”
“Cuffing season” made its online mainstream debut back in 2011 on Urban Dictionary. Users described it as the time of year seasonal cold temperatures and feelings of loneliness overwhelm singles to the point they seek out a relationship solely for the sake of combatting their crippling solitude.
The term “cuffed” originated at the same time the phrase “cuffing season”— commonly abbreviated online to “cuffing szn” — emerged as a pop culture phenomenon.
Once cuffing season ends and the world starts to heat up again, so do many of the relationships that transpired from it. Months pass, then the cycle repeats itself.
But unlike the original term it sprung from, the word “cuffed” doesn’t always seem to connote the same sense of romantic disillusion and hopelessness. Nor does the term always imply the dissatisfaction some couples feel with regards to the committed, monogamous nature of their relationships.
How Real Is It?
Fascinatingly, there is scientific evidence proving the universal manifestation of this cultural phenomenon for lonely singles.
There are a number of studies examining spikes in loneliness among individuals during the fall and winter months. More babies are known to be conceived during “cuffing szn” as well.
Dating app activity also seems to further prove the hustle of “cuffing szn” as well. In 2016, the dating app Hinge surveyed over 1,000 users and found that during the winter, 15% of men are more likely to want a relationship. A smaller percentage of women shared the sentiment, with only 5% being more likely to want to “get cuffed” in the winter.
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