11 Ways to find love online or offline in 2023
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Before the dating app fatigue kicks in
Dating app success
Thousands of couples have found each other (and even had “Tinder babies”) since the app launched in 2012. Countless other dating apps followed for every imaginable dating niche.
Unfortunately, for singles diligently searching for “the one”, many low-barrier-to-entry apps have become synonymous with commitment-phobic hookup culture. A Google search of the terms “Tinder” and “hookup” exposes an industry built around casual dating coaching. What’s more, dating app KPIs (like number of active users, or hours spent online) often work in opposition to their users’ ultimate hopes to render their account obsolete by meeting the right person.
As a dating coach, I know many singletons associate dating apps with the near-inevitable negative experiences the sheer number of online interactions can bring. Home screens are cluttered with icons promising love; calendars and inboxes are littered with the remnants of dating disappointments.
Dating app fatigue
Years of a global pandemic exacerbated dating app fatigue; as work, social life and entertainment moved even more online. After all, humans crave in-person connection. A 2020 MIT study found that our longing for social contact after periods of isolation is actually neurologically similar to when we feel hungry for food.
Online dating can also feel like the opposite of falling in love with a trusted friend. We’re immediately thrust into a romantic interaction with people we haven’t met and barely know. This lack of groundwork can feel invasive, inappropriate and overly-presumptuous. As well as disappointing if romantic feelings are unreciprocated.
It’s normal to feel disheartened when online dating isn’t meeting your expectations. After all, per the equation Mo Gawdat shares in his book “Solve For Happy”:
There are two dating optimization routes you can take: one to consciously improve your online experience; the other to boost your chances of meeting someone offline.
Here are 11 practical tips to do either or both.
