7 Facts You May Not Know About Online Dating

Online dating — once the realm for the desperate, the forgotten and the introverted — has now become mainstream. Long gone are the days when mentioning online dating attached a stigma to those who used it and when it was thought of as quirky or dangerous. In the present day, online dating is seen as more practical and safer than traditional methods of meeting potential partners.

When you think about it, this should be no surprise. After all, technology and the internet have become such an integral part of our existence — with everything from smart homes to smart cars — why would the search for romance be any different?

Whether you have tried online dating, or are just beginning to consider it, what you know about it probably comes from friends or from online dating ads. However, there is more to know — here are seven facts you may not know about online dating.

1. The Majority of the Population Sees It as a Good Idea

Just 12 years ago, the majority of people surveyed found online dating as something negative — something to be avoided. In 2017, the Pew Research Center found that 60 percent of those surveyed had an opinion that online dating is an effective and good way to meet people. Also, only 23 percent of those surveyed thought that it was an act of desperation. Those are impressive figures displaying a strong improvement in public perception with the trend appearing to move continuously upward. Who knows? Maybe in ten more years, online dating will be seen not only as a viable option for meeting people but as the primary method to do so.

2. It Is Effective

Next time you go out, look around you. For every ten couples that you see, it is estimated that three of them met through online dating. Presently, 32 percent of couples met through a dating site. Industry experts predict that by the year 2040 that figure could surpass the 70 percent mark.

In a comprehensive study of online dating conducted by the online dating industry in conjunction with prominent sociologists, it was determined that in the year 2015, 17 percent of all marriages in the U.S. that year were a result of couples that had met online. Although there weren’t comparable figures presented for those that met while drunk at a club — we are inclined to believe that those that met online fared better.

In the future, your grandchildren may not be so interested how grandma and grandpa met, but rather on the name of the site where they met.

3. You’re in Good Company

In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that there are 56 million single people. Out of those, 41 million have tried online dating at least once — that’s close to 75 percent. While just the fact that a large crowd is trying something shouldn’t be seen as unequivocal proof of its effectiveness, the fact that the percentage is growing, should. Online dating has shown constant and steady growth, year over year, since 2005. That type of growth can only be sustained for such a length of time when something is genuine and fruitful — not a passing fad.

4. It’s Not That Expensive

Some people are under the misguided belief that online dating can be expensive. An industry study in 2016 found that the average amount a person spent on dating sites was $238 per year. When you consider the powerful personality matching tools that most sites provide and the ability to vet potential matches before even meeting them, that sum is a bargain. For most people, it would represent a net saving when compared to other methods for meeting people.

5. The Older the Man, the Better He Does

It may sound counterintuitive, but the older a man is, the greater the number of first responses that he receives from women on dating sites. It has been found that men in their 40s and 50s are sought out nearly twice as much as men in their 20s and 30s.

Before all the male 20 and 30-somethings reading this run out and start dying their hair a premature grey, there is a reason presented by sociologists as to why this happens. Women who are seeking a stable relationship prefer the maturity and stability that comes with age. That is why the profiles of older men receive such a high response rate. Younger men, however, should not lose heart. It has also been determined that women are more prone to respond to younger men — as opposed to older men — by the same two to one margin when the younger man makes the first contact.

The takeaway from this is that both older and younger men have their own areas of advantage in the online dating world.

6. Help with Your Online Dating Profile

Just as in traditional dating, soliciting the help of friends to meet someone also exists in the online dating world. This usually comes in the form of getting friends to help you in crafting your online dating profile. It is estimated that 30 percent of women and 16 percent of men solicit outside help in building their profiles.

For anybody that has given online dating a whirl, you know how important your online dating profile can be. After all, it is your profile that potential matches will see and that complex matching algorithms will use to make compatibility recommendations. Therefore, soliciting a little help is not a bad idea.

7. The Little White Lies

For most of us, at some point in our dating history, we have probably been guilty of small exaggerations of the truth regarding ourselves. In online dating, surveys have identified that the top three areas that women lie about in their profiles are age, body type, and weight. For men, their white lies include age, income, and height.

Sociologists tell us that these little online dating white lies resemble closely the white lies that we tell each other in more traditional dating. The intent is not to deceive potential partners, rather it is to build up our own confidence and self-esteem.

— What Does the Future Hold for Online Dating? —

As the facts outlined above clearly demonstrate — barring a complete and total meltdown of the internet or robots one day overtaking humanity — online dating is here to stay. It has already become an acceptable way to meet people and soon it will become the main way to do so. If you are single and have not tried it, you should. Online dating is no longer just a “fad” — it’s the future of romance. Go ahead and try your hand at online dating — whether you’re looking for a long term-relationship, or a casual hookup, we’ve got you covered – List of Dating Sites

Go ahead and try your hand at online dating — whether you’re looking for a long-term relationship, or a casual hookup, we’ve got you covered – List of Dating Sites