19 November,2025 03:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: File pic
There's something about winter, the chill in the air, the aroma of coffee, the warm blanket that stirs an instinctual desire for warmth and companionship.
As the nights grow longer, hearts can wander more readily. For many, the season brings a reminder not just of love but of the complex human desire for companionship, even if it is outside the confines of monogamy.
According to the citywise information revealed in the Gleeden-IPSOS Infidelity study 2025, which studied 1510 respondents from across Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities in India, a startling 43 per cent of the people feel that humans are not constructed for monogamy. This means that almost 50 per cent of India admits that fidelity may not be a natural function, rather, the desire, like winters, has its inexplicable moods.
Where warmth turns wild: The winter effect on relationships
Winter is often called "the season of love" but for many it is also the season of rediscovery and temptation. The research shows that the coldness of the months may increase people's crave for emotional warmth and physical affection and lead people to indulge in friendships, rather than enhance their principal connections. The app data has shown that the phases of increasing activity in getting together during winter as people seek warmth through conversations, and often slippings.
Winter romance is deeper, more intense, more urgent, which is probably why at this time one feels that people are more honest about their feelings of complexity.
The loyalty dilemma: Tier-1 vs Tier-2 attitudes towards monogamy
Though the sentiments are to a certain extent away from monogamy, what is intriguing is, the line of fracture between the metro cities and the smaller towns of India. In Tier I, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru 38 per cent of those interviewed do not think that monogamy is natural. In Tier-2 cities however, the proportion jumps up to 47 per cent which suggests that the so-called 'traditional towns' of India are more broadminded about infidelity, than we would be inclined to think.
According to the data, towns leading the race in thinking that humans were not meant for monogamy are those of Jaipur (52 per cent), Patna (46 per cent) and Indore (69 per cent). Those of Kolkata (40 per cent) and Ahmedabad (46 per cent) have moderate views which reflect the position between idealism and realism. At the same time 26 per cent it appears are still for the principle of loyalty and are of the opinion that monogamy is natural and attainable. The cities of Ludhiana (30 per cent) and Indore (33 per cent) are those cities where belief in fidelity is still intact, which proves that despite changes in attitude the old fashioned ideas have not gone. For the rest 31 per cent, the question of love depends upon the view which individual opinion takes, saying that it "depends upon the individual".
Infidelity is not always rebellion, it's reflection
Sybil Shiddell, country manager with the app in India says, "Infidelity is not in itself dishonesty; it is often a reflection of unfulfilled emotional or physical need. As people change, so must their relationships change. What the study shows is that the Indian people are beginning to view loyalty and love from a more human standpoint, that which accepts imperfection, and personal desire."
The study shows not only about attitude, but more about emotional realities. Love for a very large number of people in India is not only confined to the idea of forever. It is more in the nature of connectivity, warmth, and genuineness, even where it is from unexpected sources. The air getting colder, and the heart being stricken with restlessness, perhaps the one true question is not whether or not the human system is wired for monogamy, but whether it is wired for honesty about what it really wants.
For winter can make the human being seek warmth, but it also makes the need to face what he has been missing dawn.
