Dating Trends for 2022
The coronavirus pandemic has revolutionized how we do a lot of things. From movie-watching to fitness, everybody has learned how to adapt in some way or another. But one of the most challenging things that we have had to re-learn is the art of dating. Even a Simple Sasquatch must go outside their comfort zone to find the right match! As we continue to find up-to-date methods of love and shake our old habits, here are some of the dating trends for 2022 that we’ll be seeing a lot of.
How Have Dating Trends Changed?
Heading to a bar with a group of friends while hoping to find the love of your life is a thing of the past. All the meet-cute stories that we’ve heard and swooned over have become harder to try, and it’s not only because of the pandemic (but it’s undoubtedly had an impact.) The rise of technology in relationships, both platonic and romantic, has ensured that these dating trends for 2022 might be here to stay.
Perhaps the most significant change in dating trends over the past few years is the rise of online dating. It feels like everybody has tried out some of the easy-to-use trending dating apps like Tinder and Bumble at least once. Research has found that as many as 36% of Canadians have tried out online dating, and the number is only growing.
What Are the Dating Trends For 2022?
Some of the dating trends for 2022 are nothing new. Those who have been in the game for a long time might recognize some of them as evolutions of methods they have tried (and sometimes failed.) So, let’s dig into some of the biggest dating trends for 2022, whether they’re online dating trends or not.
Slow Commitments
Many of us have spent a good portion of the pandemic working on ourselves. If you’re like a simple sasquatch, then you know that having the whole forest to yourself can mean plenty of time for self-reflection and thinking about what you want in life! As dating trends in 2022 start to show themselves, it looks like one of them will be a hesitancy to lock it down.
Social views on being single have changed, and it’s no longer a source of shame to spend Saturday nights on your own. Taking longer to commit to leaving all of that behind is going to be a lasting trend this year.
Dry Dating
A recent Bumble survey found that 34% of daters are more likely to avoid drinking on a date than before the COVID-19 pandemic. As mentioned above, the art of bar-hoping to find somebody new has escaped us. But is this the only reason for such a dramatic shift toward dry dating?
Many report that dry dating provides folks with a better opportunity to know their partners on a more vulnerable level. It also gives you more options for what to do on your first date! There are plenty of creative activities that are alcohol-free, and choosing dry dating will open these options up for you.
Less Typecasting
Many of us are guilty of having a strict “type” that we go after, both for looks and for personalities. But the increasing popularity of online dating trends and trending dating apps means that we have the whole world of matches at our fingertips. It’s easier to see people (and sasquatches alike) that don’t fit our ideal “match,” and the virtual platform allows us to see them as a viable romantic partners.
Another online dating study found that 43% of those who responded were ditching their “types” for a more “exploratory” approach, and we aren’t surprised.
Less Ghosting & More Honesty
“Ghosting” was one of our least favourite dating trends of the last decade, and it’s lasted longer than we care to admit. The act of ditching a past romantic partner with no explanation (or warning) is easy to do when most of your interactions take place online.
Fortunately, our 2022 dating trends see us ghosting the old trend and embracing more honesty instead. If we’re happier with being single, as the trend mentioned above explained, then why should we be afraid to share it? Daters are more confident in their choices than ever, and it’s becoming easier to explain this to the matches we aren’t ready to move forward with. This is one trend that we hope sticks.
The dating trends for 2022 combine a mixture of wanting to stay online and get out there and try something new, especially as COVID-19 keeps changing the dating scene. Hopefully, the last thing that ghosts us is the pandemic.