greater life satisfaction certainly makes coupling up seem appealing during darker months, a time when people are typically more depressed.
“Psychologically, we are…primed to seek mates in the winter,” psychiatrist Scott Carroll told Medical Daily in an interview. “We also associate the winter holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) with family and partners, so we feel particularly lonely then, on top of our evolutionary drive to seek connection in the winter.”
In a mbg.com interview, relationship expert Jillian Turecki points to the fact that winter is the “season of sleep” as an explanation for why we’re so anxious to settle down as temps drop. “Winter is the time of sleep. It’s a slow-down time, a reflective time. It’s dark. It’s cold, which is more conducive to sleep—literally and metaphorically,” she says.
“But the extended darkness can affect our hormones, like melatonin and serotonin. Effectively, we become more tired and prone to depression or lethargy. Romance is an antidote to that—it warms and lightens us up, giving life back to our sleepy cells.”
Another thing having a partner helps with are holiday celebrations that would otherwise be tough to