Did you know there is scientific proof cuffing season is real? I mean the cooler weather and the holiday feels can make you acknowledge you're lonely but there's more...
Men Find Women Less Attractive in the Summer
If men’s magazines were indicative of what the gender really wants, then it would appear men find women in revealing clothes sexiest. However, clinical psychologist Dr. Carla Manly says the opposite is true. “During summer, men become habituated to seeing women in scant bathing suits, shorts, and skimpy dresses,” she explains. “In the fall and winter, skin is covered due to cold. In accord with the general law of supply and demand, bare flesh seems to become more alluring as it becomes less available.” Research appears to support this theory, too. A study from 2008 showed that male attraction changes seasonally, with guys finding female bodies more alluring in the winter and least tempting in the summer.
Those Pumpkin Spice Lattes Get You in the Mood
A study from 2011 revealed that men and women have higher levels of testosterone in the fall. Higher levels of the sex hormone are believed to increase sexual desire in both genders. Not only that, but Manly says that seasonal scents, particularly pumpkin pie and vanilla, can help stimulate libido. And well, there is definitely no shortage of faux pumpkin spice this time of year. But why do we opt for monogamy instead of casual sex? Naturopathic physician Dr. Jennifer Stagg believes we have a mate-seeking drive in fall, but says research hasn’t yet offered an explanation.
Our DNA Change in Mysterious Ways
Your genetics in the fall aren’t quite the same as they are in summer. Stagg explains there are roughly 5,000 different genes that appear to be affected by the season, most likely due to the shift in temperature and light. A study published in 2015 also indicated seasonal DNA changes, and it’s this phenomenon that impacts how hormones get expressed and produced, thus changing our sex drive.
You Get Addicted to Cuddling
OK, so maybe not addicted in the clinical sense, but Manly says that we do begin to crave canoodling, in part thanks to what’s known as the cuddle hormone, oxytocin. “As a couple engages in more sex, more oxytocin is created; the increase in oxytocin feels wonderful,” she says. In order to create more of the “feel good” state, more sexual activity is desired, creating what she calls an interesting cycle.
(originally appeared on Newsweek)