“OnlyPlans” and Co.: These are the dating trends for 2023

study
“OnlyPlans” and Co.: These are the dating trends for 2023

Corona is leaving its mark on society across the board and so the year 2022 as a whole was characterized by the fact that everyone had to tentatively feel their way back to “normal everyday life”. At a time when dates for weddings, birthdays, company events, festivals, concerts, etc. that had been postponed for more than two years were gradually arriving, jumping into the dating world was not necessarily the top priority for many singles around the world priority list.

Even in March 2023, life is still quite uncertain – inflation, war in Europe and the energy crisis are far from over and some are wondering how one is supposed to meet casually or seriously these days and find the dream person. In a study with the help of British singles, the dating platform Plenty of Fish took a look at how dating trends have developed – and how people will still be dating in 2023. We present a few trends.

“OnlyPlans”: The lovers who never saw each other

Due to the busy schedule mentioned at the beginning, it is currently such a thing to get involved with new people, because: Who actually has the time for that right now? At least the singles surveyed in the “Plenty of Fish” study are finding it difficult to make room: 87 percent of respondents say they intend to date someone but don’t have time to commit.

So the trend is towards “OnlyPlans” (referring to the online platform “OnlyFans”), i.e. making “only plans” with each other that neither party seriously intends to implement. How do you recognize that? You want to meet someone for the third time, but one of them always postpones it in the end? Well, you two are just “OnlyPlans” to each other.

“Cost of Loving”: Love has become priceless

Dating has never been cheap, depending on what you want to do on a date. But inflation has caused prices to skyrocket – including for dining out, among other things. According to a survey by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in November 2022, almost two-thirds of the Germans surveyed (62 percent) said they ate out less often. Is making a mark on dating, too, at least according to the results of the Plenty of Fish survey, in which more than half (52 percent) said the rising cost of living was affecting their date planning.

Almost three quarters of those surveyed (73 percent) admitted to avoiding appointments with their dating partner or canceling them altogether because of the high costs. Now that spring is slowly returning to the country, cheaper alternatives such as a picnic in the park could be used instead.

“Eco-dumping”: The environmental sow is not in my heart

Sustainability is no longer a nice bonus, because every day we receive news about the latest natural disaster on our beautiful planet – also in Germany. People are not only paying more and more attention to sustainability when it comes to consumption – after all, almost half of those surveyed (48 percent) are concerned about it EY study pollution and 45 percent are concerned about climate change.

Sustainability has also found its way into the topic of dating, because more than a third (39 percent) of the singles surveyed find it very important whether a potential partner takes care of the environment – and is therefore more important than looks (23 percent) or job (7 percent). Fast food has never been all that sexy — now it can even be a real deal breaker for some when it comes to dating.

“Bae Realing”: Take me as I am, because the way I am is beautiful

There was a time when looking at dating profiles, you had to seriously ask yourself if everyone was suddenly just canoeing on mountain lakes, bungee jumping, or parachuting out of helicopters, because that’s what people showed in their pictures . Originality has a positive effect on the perception of intelligence and humor and makes potential dating partners more attractive in the eyes of others. You’ve known that for a long time studiesnow this has apparently also spread to the singles.

Because what is more original than the true self? More than 69 percent of respondents admit to having used photo filters on their dating profiles in the past, but nearly three-quarters of respondents (74 percent) now feel comfortable sharing unfiltered real-life images. They are also becoming more honest in their exchanges with one another – this is also evident, for example, in social media, where more and more people dare to report unfiltered about their lives far from the perfect poses and filters.

Sources used: rnd.de, pof.com, ey.com, journals.plos.org

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Bridget