Love it or hate it, it comes around every year. As soon as the last heady days of summer come to a close and those dark nights start to draw in, singletons across the country brace themselves for the arrival of cuffing season – the time of year when people seek out a romantic interest to get them through the winter months.

While the term ‘cuffing season’ hasn’t been around all that long – according to Insider, it originated on Urban Dictionary sometime around 2011 – the sudden sense of yearning it describes goes back further. Think about it: from those cheesy Hallmark films to the sense of longing that underpins almost every Christmas song (we’re looking at you, Mariah Carey), winter has always been a time associated with partnership, connection and love. But why exactly is this?