While love is constant and always at play, the way romance-seekers approach the game is always constantly evolving.
With 2022 being the year most of the world finally decided to stop hiding from the pandemic, there was plenty to observe in terms of how the millions of the world’s young adults went about the attraction game, with some very notable trends emerging as a result.
Here are three of the top trends in dating for 2022, as provided by Tinder.
1. "Situationships" are in.
2022 saw the rise of “situationships”, which translates to being more than a hookup, but not exactly a full-blown relationship. There was an over 49-percent increase in members adding their intent to enter situationships to their bios, with about 10 percent admitting that this was a way for them to develop relationships with less pressure involved.
Southeast Asians, particularly in the Philippines (53 percent), Singapore (50 percent), and Thailand (44 percent) said that they were in the mood for casual dating.
2. Be positive about things.
On Tinder, the parking symbol ?? was repurposed to represent “Pushin P” (as in pushing positivity) and became the top trending emoji globally on the platform. This represented more young date-seekers letting potential matches understand that they were looking to keep things positive and real.
In Southeast Asia, these young daters also shared this sentiment, with the majority feeling “hopeful” (61 percent) and “excited” (67 percent) about their future dating prospects.
Some of the popular emojis used by young Southeast Asian singles to express their positive vibes on Tinder included? in Indonesia and Singapore, and ? in Thailand and Vietnam.
3. Dinner dates are boring now.
Globally, it also became clear that traditional dinner dates had overwhelmingly been passed on in favor of more varied activities, with mentions of beaches and picnics greatly increasing on Tinder bios. This indicated a demand for more authentic experiences when it came to dating, with camping, BBQs, street food, and generally trying new things coming up into the top 10 trending interests on the platform.
In Southeast Asia, “simple dates like taking a walk or grabbing coffee” was the most commonly-cited ideal first date activity in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
4. You don’t need booze for a good time.
Interestingly, alcohol-free dates were also in vogue this year, with authenticity again being the point of focus on these meet-ups. Over 25 percent of surveyed young singles said that they drank less on dates compared to the previous year, while 72 percent of members revealed on their profiles that they didn’t drink, or only drank occasionally.
Coinciding with this, the ?and ? emojis each decreased by 40 percent and 25 percent respectively on Tinder profiles, year-on-year.
5. Be funny, fresh, and forward.
Also, some of the most sought-after quirks in any potential match were a sense of humor, good hygiene, and clarity about what they wanted, with 73 percent of surveyed young singles across all genders desiring to meet someone with these traits. When asked about the most important characteristics of a potential date, attributes such as loyalty (79 percent), respect (78 percent), and open-mindedness (61 percent) were prioritized above looks (56 percent).
Southeast Asians in particular revealed that they were looking for matches who “they can trust and confide in” (69 percent), and who “are open-minded and accepting” (69 percent), and who “can make them laugh” (61 percent).
6. Social issues matter.
Apparently, 75 percent of singles admitted to looking for matches that were respectful or invested in social issues, with many Tinder users bearing symbols or flags demonstrating awareness or care for major happenings and movements around the world — such as displaying the Ukrainian flag, or showing interest in activism and voters' rights.
In Southeast Asia, young adult singles named "sharing the same values" (52 percent) and "fighting for what they believe in" (38 percent) as some of their most desired qualities in potential matches.
7. Blast from the past.
Young singles were also observed getting inspired by dating trends from the 90's and 2000's, with the fastest-growing trends including things like "90's Kid", "Anime", and "Sneakers". Even the old-school blind date concept was turned into a feature on Tinder, and saw usage numbers of around 200,000 times a day on average.
Again, this pointed to a growing desire for authenticity in romantic relationships, which isn't surprising when you consider the amount of masquerading and pretentiousness that abounds today.
8. Warning signs everywhere.
The red flag ?and gaslighting ? emojis were trending everywhere in 2022, and for a good reason, as it was observed that young singles were highly aware of the things (good and bad) to look out for in potential partners.
58 percent of those surveyed said that they were confident about being able to identify red flags when dating, and it probably goes to show that romance seekers have become much more proficient when it comes to picking out the good apples from the bad.
9. Jet set romance.
2022 was also the year of revenge travel, with statistics showing how passport-holding individuals between 18 and 25 travelled a whopping nine times a month on average.
Indonesians and Singaporeans in particular favored neighboring countries for finding matches, with Singaporeans dashing off to Kuala Lumpur the most, and Indonesians loving Singapore the most.
Conversely, young Malaysians and Filipinos tended to look further to satiate their dating appetites, with London ranked as the top destination for single young adults in these two countries.
For Thai and Vietnamese daters, the South Korean capital of Seoul was the top destination when it came to travel.
10. May the stars guide your love life.
Tinder also revealed that star signs were the most popular type of descriptor among user profiles, surpassing smoking preferences, pets, and dietary choices.
Incidentally, Leos, Scorpios, and Cancers were the groups most likely to display their star signs in their bios, with the results showing that surprisingly, all star signs were most likely to match with the exact same zodiac sign. Maybe that just means opposites don't attract as often as we think.
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Cover image sourced from Tech Advisor and Vecteezy.
