The Perks of Singledome

The 10 Best Things About Being Single in the Summer
by Chiara Atik on May 30, 2013

1. Crowds
Being single in the winter means spending time alone in your home while all the couples of the world hibernate together. But in the summer, everyone comes out of the woodwork! Music festivals, street festivals, parades, fireworks displays — tons of opportunities to be with your fellow citizens en masse.  Sure, there are couples in the crowd — but summer crowds are all about the bigger whole. And not to get too transcendental on you, but when you’re singing along with thousands of people at a summer music festival, who cares whether you’re single or not?

2. No Sweaty, Clammy, PDA
I guess when you’re in a relationship you technically don’t care that your significant other’s hand is sweaty and it’s 90 degrees and your shirt is sticking to your back as it is and an arm around your shoulders or a body on your lap is like adding an extra layer of human blanket. I guess none of that really matters when you’re in love.

But when you’re single, it’s nice to not have to deal with someone else’s sweat.

3. Making Out Under the Dock. Also, Staying Out ’til 10 O’Clock
Something about summer, regardless of your age, always feels like a throwback to high school, a time when the warmer season meant no school, later nights, unsupervised bonfires, pool parties, and raging crushes. You’re an adult now, and presumably don’t get a free pass from work just because it’s July. But summer love interests still seem a bit heightened, a bit more illicit. Maybe you’ll make out under a dock. Or maybe it will just be at a neighbor’s roof party, resulting in a sunburn and hangover at work the next day. Still exciting.

4. Fewer…Clothes?
HowAboutWe’s Scott Alden once wrote a post on why women look more like girlfriend material in the Fall (something to do with sweaters) and I wrote a post in praise of the autumn boyfriend (something to do with sweaters). If more clothing in the autumn makes a person look like relationship material, less clothing in summer makes a person look like…a lot of fun? Short skirts, short shorts, bare arms, and bathing suits lead little to the imagination but, at least three months out of the year, that’s kind of a good thing. Take advantage.

5. It Stays Light Out So Long!
…and as long as it’s light out, you don’t really have to get to bed/finish up some work/do your laundry/stop drinking in order to make it to the gym in the morning. I mean, look at the sky! It’s practically afternoon! Have one more drink with the charming stranger you just started talking to…

6. Everyone’s Outside
One question that often gets posed to a dating writer is, “Where do I go to meet people?” In summer, the answer is simple: outside! This is especially true when you live in the city, and everyone is desperate to crawl out of their cramped apartments and enjoy the parks, walkways, lakesides, waterfronts, etc. Or even just stoops, fire escapes, and rooftops. People that you’d never meet in the winter, because they’re all squirreled away in their apartments, suddenly come out of the woodwork during the summer months. Take advantage!

7. The Best Make-Out Spots of the Year
On the beach. At an outdoor movie screening. On a picnic. In the pool. Watching the fireworks. Under the booo-ooooard—walk….down by the sea….

8. Easy Date Invites
Everyone is constantly having gatherings during the summer. BBQs, beach hangouts, Fourth of July parties, “My cousin has a pool” parties, etc. Not only are these great opportunities to meet people, they also make super convenient excuses to invite someone to hang out. “Oh, my coworker is having a BBQ, you should stop by….”

9. Summer Songs
Whatever the “Song of the Summer” ends up being, it’s a perfect way to catalogue/remember your summer fling. It will be your song, without being “your” song. And whenever it plays, in future years, you’ll think back on That French Guy Who Was In Town For 3 Weeks/The Girl You Met At Surf Lodge in Montauk, etc.

10. Because Summer Is The Best Season to Be Single
And everyone knows it. It’s romantic, exciting, and easy to meet people during the hotter months. So stave off your urge to pair up until at least September, and make the most of being a free agent while you can.