by Autumn Laws
With the drop in temperature on the horizon, it’s not hard to suspect that the pairs of cuddling, lonely college students will be on the uprise. While some will attribute it to exam blues or homesickness, this is actually a phenomenon known as winter love.
Winter love is similar to summer love but is based on different circumstances. While summer love thrives on party-going, star-gazing, and night-gossiping, winter love is composed of cocoa-sipping, couch-cuddling, and pajama-lounging.
Summer and winter love both occur mostly out of a desire for companionship during opposite times of the year. Summer love is fed from the desire of wanting someone to do things with. Winter love is fed from the desire of wanting someone to do nothing with. The two are separate, but undoubtedly comparable.
The obvious problem with winter love is its longevity. When a relationship prospers on external factors—like the weather—it isn’t hard to expect the relationship to last once those external factors change. But is there something wrong with entering these kinds of relationships? A few Capital students have opinions on the topic that differ across the board.
Some students regard winter love poorly, saying there is not much point in it.
“Having an expiration date in mind makes it a cheap relationship,” Audra Mauter said about the topic. “You’re not investing in one another; you’re using one another.”
“The quicker the relationship starts, the quicker it will end,” Anna O’Reilly said about winter love.
Other students find there to be no problem with winter love.
“As long as both people in the relationship are aware of what’s going on, it’s okay,” Grant Sharratt said. He thinks that if someone wants to build a relationship on the warmth of winter love, that’s fine.
“I personally wouldn’t date anyone just for fun, but I don’t see anything wrong with it,” Alex Pisani said.
“The thing with short term companionship is that you never know where it’s going to go,” Beau Streety said.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it, as long as everyone in the relationship is emotionally prepared for it,” Ellen Pahutski said about winter love.
“I think the drive, the want for companionship, is natural and happens regardless of the season,” Colin Moore said.
There is no one right answer to the morality of winter love. It’s a situational topic that differs from couple to couple. It can be very detrimental to some relationships, but can also lead to something unexpected and great for other relationships. There’s not much to lose when entering a relationship that begins with a winter love. Both parties need to be on the same page about what the relationship truly is.
There is nothing wrong with being involved with someone out of loneliness as long as the other person is sure of the intentions. As with any relationship, there needs to be communication and honesty for it to thrive. You can’t expect something to definitely come of it, but you can’t just assume it will end immediately following the change of season.
It’s important, not just in winter love relationships but all new relationships, to not have many expectations of the relationship’s future. Know what you’re looking for in your significant other, but always be able to compromise.
If you start a winter love relationship, don’t be surprised if it ends abruptly when the weather changes and don’t be surprised if it turns into more than just a fling. That’s the beauty of human interaction—you never know what you’re going to get.
alaws@capital.edu
