Why Right Now Is The Most Popular Time Of Year To Get Into A New Relationship

It's official — the holiday season is here. The weather has turned, the leaves are falling, the stores are full of inflatable 12-foot lawn Santas, and everything smells faintly of pumpkin spice. Hey, I’m not complaining. I know we’re all supposed to be cynical about the encroaching Christmas consumerism and how annoying our families are and blah blah blah, but not me. This is my favorite time of year. And despite what you you might think, I’m not alone, which is why now is the most popular time of year for a relationship.

Plus, the food is amazing, I’m covered head to toe in various forms of knitwear, and unwrapping presents is on the horizon. It’s a magical time. And yes were also in peak love season, or at least that’s how it feels. It feels like every year around this time, everyone I know — even the proud to be free and single crowd — is snuggling up with a new boo. Check back in around spring time and that may have changed, but for right now, pretty much everyone is roasting more than chestnuts by an open fire, if you know what I’m saying.

But is my anecdotal theory about the holiday season being one that inspires romance actually true? To answer that, I reached out to relationship expert and matchmaker Nora DeKeyser of Three Day Rule. Here's why she says the love business booms this time of year.

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year — For Lovin'

If it seems like everyone you know is cuddling up with with someone new right now, it's because, according to Dekeyser, they are. She says that people are more likely to settle down right before the holidays for a couple of reasons.

First of all, seeing your family with their significant others may inspire you to find your own own person. It reinforces that sense familial comfort. "Everyone around you during the holidays expresses their value for family aka partnerships. This is a mix of environment and psychology: you see other people valuing this and you want it as well," explains Dekeyser.

Are Holiday Relationships More Likely To Go The Distance?

If familial bonds help inspire us to form new relationships this time of year, does that mean they have a better chance of going the distance? As it turns out, not necessarily. While people may be more likely to form new relationships during this season, there's no guarantee that when the weather warms the romance won’t cool. "The spring and summer are times of 'new beginnings' and people crave freedom,” Dekeyser says. “But in the fall, people crave companionships and familiarity. Who doesn't want a holiday gift from their some special?"

This season can also be tricky for people who were already in established relationships because, according to Dekeyser, with “the increase in expression of love, many long-term couples start to wonder, 'Is this for life?' or 'Is this just for fun?' If it is the latter, many people feel overwhelmed by having to include a person they don't know if they want to marry in their family traditions."

Makes sense; family pressure can be a real romance killer. But on the flip side, sometimes it's when you see your partner interacting with your family that you recognize what a perfect fit they are.

The takeaway here is, yes, what you sense about people hooking up more as the temperature drops is true. It doesn't guarantee that a winter romance will last all year, but that’s OK. Sometimes love for right now is all you need. Also, presents are coming! Happy holidays, folks.

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