Betterment burnout? Dating trends to watch out for in 2024

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The popular dating app, Bumble, has garnered insights from more than 25,000 singles around the world to identify trends that will define dating and relationships in the year to come. Bumble's 2023 trends focused on navigating love abroad with Wanderlove, dating beyond your type with Open-casting, and establishing new boundaries with our partners, our work lives, and our finances. Looking ahead, 2024 is set to be the year of "self" in dating and relationships with more people looking inwards at what they value and want.

This personal prioritisation sees singles rejecting the constant strive for perfection, discarding outdated timelines, challenging ‘jobification', and placing more value on emotional vulnerability, self-acceptance, and shared priorities. Heading into 2024, there is an air of optimism and clarity for the ‘year of self' as Bumble's research shows that more than half (59 percent) of Indian women surveyed are going into the new year with a clear view of what they want from their romantic lives.

Dating trends for 2024:

Val-Core Dating: Singles today are looking for shared priorities and expect their partners to not only care about social causes but to actively engage. Val-Core refers to the rise of people valuing engagement on issues that matter to them. For 1 in 4 (25 percent) people on Bumble, it is key that their partner actively engages with politics and social causes.

In fact, 41 percent of Indians say their potential partner engaging in politics and voting is important to them. When it comes to dating, Bumble's research shows that women are less open to someone with differing political views for 1 in 3 (33 percent) women globally it is a turn-off if someone they are dating is not aware of current societal issues. When it comes to dating, Bumble's research shows that the most important social cause Indians want their partners to engage with is Human rights issues (64 percent). Research also shows for 38 percent of Indian women, it is important that a potential partner has a passion for the same values as them.

Betterment Burnout: From biohacking and starting your day at 5 a.m., to plugging into self-help podcasts, there has been a rise in people ‘self-optimising' - striving to become a perfect version of themselves. This has led the majority of singles (55 percent) to feel pressure to constantly look for ways to better themselves, leaving 1 in 4 (24 percent) feeling unworthy of a partner. Looking ahead to 2024, singles are rebelling against the constant self-improvement with more than 2 in 3 women surveyed (68 percent) globally taking active steps to be happier with who they are here and now. In fact, 56 percent of Indian women will now only date people who will not try to change them.

Intuitive Intimacy: For people today, and particularly women, it seems attraction comes down to one key thing: emotional intimacy. Singles are focused on finding security, safety and understanding, with more than a third (35 percent) of people surveyed in India believing that emotional intimacy is now more important than sex and that it's actually more attractive than physical connection. When it comes to dating, 3 in 4 women (78 percent) say it's key that their partner has an understanding of both emotional and physical intimacy. In 2024, it's time to get on your feet.

Open-hearted masculinity: The year has been filled with global conversations about masculinity and gender roles in fashion, media, music and film (ken-ergy, anyone?). When it comes to relationships, 1 in 4 (25 percent) men globally state that they have actively changed their behaviour, becoming more vulnerable and open with people they are dating than ever before. For a quarter of Indian men (26 percent), this new-found openness has had a positive impact on their mental health and for 37 percent of Indian men, a lack of vulnerability is now a dating dealbreaker.

MVP (Most Valuable Partner): With a new wave of women tennis stars, a constant stream of sports documentaries, and a global competition next year, sports is set to take a front seat in dating - or maybe we're just all after our own Taylor and Kelce love story? For 35 percent of single Indians, a shared love of sports has now become a ‘must have' regardless of whether you're a player or simply a spectator. Our obsession with sports is also changing how we date with 30 percent of single Indians stating that attending sports together is important, more so with Genz (33 percent) than Millennials (26 percent). Almost three-quarters (73 percent) of profiles in India include a sports interest badge and the top athletics include cricket and football.

Consider-date: This year's prioritisation of self-care and mental health has led to more than half (58 percent) of singles being more open about their mental health and making a concerted effort to slow down. Single Indians are reframing how they date to better protect their mental health, with 1 in 3 (33 percent) actively ‘slow-dating' and being considerate about how much they are dating to ensure quality over quantity, even more so amongst women. In fact, 42 percent of Indian women are actively seeking people who value both time and self-care.

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