The key facts
- In autumn, more people return to dating apps, making it harder to find a suitable partner — according to sexologist Alexandra Miller's observation.
- The expert links the difficulties to the 'last train' syndrome: the desire to find a couple before New Year, seasonal low mood, and summer illusions that have faded.
- Miller advises treating autumn as a period of filtering rather than active searching.
Autumn surge of activity on dating apps
In autumn, dating apps see a seasonal upswing: some users rush to find a partner before New Year, others complain about their lives on the very first dates, and still others face increased competition. Sexologist Alexandra Miller, in a comment to Life.ru, linked this to inflated expectations, seasonal blues, and the fear of being alone during the holidays.
Summer illusions and the 'last train' syndrome
According to Miller, summer dating is often built on a 'pretty picture' — vacations, a tan, and a sense of carefreeness — while in autumn this showcase disappears and some illusions fade: 'he's not in Saint-Tropez, he's in Tver, and his glass is full of kefir,' the expert ironically described the contrast between summer photos and reality. The second trap is the 'last train' syndrome: with the cold weather and early dusk, people start rushing to find someone before the holidays, and this anxiety, in the sexologist's view, seeps into the chats, hindering normal getting-to-know-each other — behind the haste lies more desperation than romantic intent. Mood also plays a role: for some, seasonal changes turn dates into a stream of complaints — about a knee aching before the rain or an 'abusive boss.'
More users — harder choice
Another observation from Miller: in autumn, more people return to the apps — those who spent the summer traveling on vacation and living their own lives. The sexologist compared the men who returned en masse to bears crawling into their dens and noted that, because of this, it becomes harder to find a truly suitable partner for a relationship. She herself advised treating autumn not as a time of searching but as a time of filtering: 'Let those looking for
Context: 'quiet divorce' as another side of cooling off
Earlier, the same outlet, in a separate piece on the so-called quiet divorce, wrote that spouses may gradually drift apart from each other while continuing to live under the same roof: a family psychologist linked this to emotional exhaustion and a lack of energy for conversations about feelings — the partners remain faithful and share a household, but put off resolving accumulated problems because no resources are left for emotional closeness. Both publications share the theme of seasonal and emotional barriers in personal life, but these are two different articles with different experts, not a single study.
