Between now and Christmas , internet dating sites anticipate a traffic increase of up to per cent as desperate singles attempt to extract value for money from their mistletoe.
Unfortunately, this "hiberdating" β to use the new American buzzword β may not be wise. According to a survey by Yahoo Personals, many couples who hook up over the holidays won't make it through to March, hence the designation of these months as ''break-up season".
But while it's true that other Yahoo surveys suggest that Matthew McConaughey has sex appeal and Starbucks coffee a rich, aromatic flavour, this one might be more useful. Welcome to ''seasonal roam''. The simple fact that the days are shorter can also make us gloomier. Therefore if we're single around this time, we instinctively look for someone β anyone β to cheer us up, even for the short-term.
In other words, we make do with what's immediately to hand. But, as anyone who's tried making a meal from the contents of a neglected fridge knows, what's immediately to hand isn't necessarily very palatable. Greisman warms to her theme. My busiest time for counselling is January through to March. Lisa Guennifa, associate director of the Elect Club introduction agency, says that the new year itself can doom relationships.
It's when many of us view our partner in the same light as those 14 pounds of flab we'd hitherto ignored. Though we're attached to it, we'd prefer we weren't.
