Sexology. Summer Shading: When Summer Redefines Our Romantic Relationships

The expression summer shading was invented by the promoters of a dating app. They reportedly spotted this practice among their users. It literally translates as a " summer shade ", with the idea of putting someone in... the shade? In this case, his or her partner.

For a summer of freedom…

The goal of what would seem like a break in the relationship would thus be to make the most of the opportunities to Summer encounters. Before, perhaps, reconnecting in the fall. On one side, there are those already in relationships who simply want to enjoy themselves: live intensely in the present moment, without asking too many questions. And on the other, there are singles convinced they won't find serious partners during the summer and who also want to take advantage of it.

A brutal aspect?

With in the background, a sort of seasonality of love between summer, adorned with lightness and synonymous with short-term relationships that do not survive the start of the school year, as opposed to other seasons, more conducive, it seems, to serious encounters.

"We already know that during the cold winter months, "Single people tend to be in relationships and looking for something more committed," Tina Wilson, founder of the dating app Wingman, explains in a HuffPost article.

"What people talk about less is the opposite phenomenon. During the summer, when the focus is more on friends, travel, and good weather, people are often less inclined to make serious commitments, making the content of a meeting more difficult to pin down."

THE summer shading can indeed be psychologically violent if the rules are not clearly stated from the start.

Some people may invest in a relationship even though it's meant to be short-lived. Discussing each other's expectations can help avoid romantic disappointment.