Dating Trends in 2022

Photo by Pratik Gupta on Unsplash

Every year new trends pop up: fashion trends, fitness trends, food trends, and of course dating trends. Whether you have had it with endless and unsuccessful dating apps or you are starting to think about dipping your foot into the dating pond after the end of a relationship, the following are six dating trends that will govern the way men and women find love in 2022.

 

1. Dry Dating - the past two years have had many people reassessing their relationship when it comes to alcohol consumption while dating. The networking app Bumble found that 34 percent of global daters are now more likely to consider going on a ‘dry date’ than they were during the pre-pandemic phase, and 29 percent of Americans surveyed believe that societal norms around drinking and dating are shifting. Now that we think of it, a nice latte date followed by a chilly stroll through the park does not sound too terrible.

 

2. Hesidating - Was first coined by the dating app Plenty of Fish in its fifth annual list of Dating Trends, and means, “Feeling indifferent about dating, unsure if you want to date seriously or casually because life, in general, is so uncertain right now. While some celebrity couples have recently hopped into new relationships quickly and with certainty, 70 percent of singles say hesidating is a very real thing,” explains the experts at POF. Single people are mirroring the uncertainty of the world in general in their dating lives, leading to reluctance to put themselves out there. After nearly two years of almost indescribable confusion, many are clinging to the things that are most secure and safe in our lives. Wading back into the dating pool would introduce a level of disquiet, which can be scary. However, here is the thing: Opening yourself up to dating again does not have to be scary. 

 

3. Dating Apps for All Ages - You are never too old to find love. Just refer to Google searches for ‘dating apps for older people,’ which have grown by a whopping 3,500 percent in the past few months. Though older singles can (and should) use sites and apps like Match, OKCupid, Bumble, or Hinge, it is also worth exploring the set of services geared specifically toward more mature folks, namely Silver Singles, OurTime, or SeniorMatch. 

 

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

4. Proud Singlehood - Though quite the opposite of a dating trend, it is worth pointing out that Bumble also predicts a rise in what they are calling a conscious single. “We’ve all heard of ‘conscious uncoupling’, but 2022 is all about finding that someone, not just anyone,” the site’s experts write, pointing out that, per their data, the pandemic has made half of us (53 percent) realize that it’s OK to be alone for a while. Looking ahead, people are consciously deciding to be single, with the majority of singletons globally (54 percent) being more mindful in how, and when, to date.

 

5. Emotional Intelligence - Physical Attractiveness - According to Match.com’s annual Singles in America report, emotional maturity has never been hotter. “This year, for the first time, there was a drop in singles’ preference for physical attractiveness, while preference for partner traits like being open-minded and accepting increased,” the report reads. Eighty-three percent of singles polled are looking for emotional maturity in a partner over physical attractiveness. Looks fade, but being a compassionate, progressive human does not.

 

6. Slow Dating - This one has been trending since the beginning of the pandemic. With new variants popping up every few months (or so it seems), slow dating is sticking around. Per Bumble, slow dating is the trend of “people taking the time to get to know each other and build a connection before deciding if they want to pursue the relationship or meet in person.” The result is that fifty-five percent of people on Bumble are taking longer to move a match offline. Jemma Ahmed, head of insights at Bumble, believes this is related to having the time and circumstances—a pandemic will change your outlook—to think more critically about what they want in a relationship. “People are starting to get to know themselves a lot more,” says Ahmed. “And as a result, they’re taking the time to figure out who is and isn’t right for them.”