We have all had an appointment that has become another anecdote to tell our group of friends. Whether due to lack of attraction, forced conversations or ideological differences, it is quite common for a blind date not to go well. The days of the experiment of meeting a stranger are numbered, as young people have begun to bet on an old trick again: meeting someone from the same environment.
In the past, this dynamic worked: A survey by the Survey Center on American Life found that 46% of married Americans did not know their spouse before they started dating. However, today this could be changing. The Business Insider medium reveals that 43% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 surveyed say they have had a relationship with someone who was first a friend.
In older couples, this situation changes completely: only 21% of people over the age of 65 claim to have been friends with their partner before dating. In this way, it is confirmed that older couples tend to date strangers, something that generation Z has neglected.
According to Business Insider, there are more and more studies that confirm this theory. One carried out by the University of Victoria (Canada) revealed that 68% of the university students surveyed knew their partner before starting a relationship, something that undoubtedly shows an abysmal difference in the way of relating to other generations such as the of the ‘Baby boom’ or Generation X.
This new formula leaves in the background the online dating apps that have gained so much popularity in recent decades with the advancement of the Internet. This social shift makes sense, as going out with a friend can have all sorts of advantages when it comes to forming a romantic bond. These are the main reasons why Gen Z prefers to date, according to Business Insider’s study.
First, the constant flow of people on dating apps has affected how much fun the process should be. In a survey conducted this year, almost half of respondents said they had a negative overall experience with online dating. Also, access to hundreds of people ends up being overwhelming, making it more difficult to choose one.
The lack of knowledge about the person we are dating can generate stress, since when having a blind date it is common to doubt the true intentions that someone may have. This is eliminated entirely if you date an acquaintance, Joe Pinsker wrote in The Atlantic: “Relationships that grow out of friendship start from a place of caring and warmth, which means avoiding the exhausting game that can arise between two weary strangers.” of appointments”.
One of the women interviewed confessed to the outlet: “It is much easier to meet people, but finding someone who fits you is not necessarily easier. So it can be easy to fall into the habit of making superficial connections and not looking for something deeper.” .
Another of the most important elements in a quality romantic relationship is trust, since showing a certain vulnerability is more complicated if we do not know the person we are dating in depth. When dating an acquaintance, this concern disappears, a fact of great importance for generation Z, which in the words of the study stands out for being especially suspicious.
This trust becomes even more relevant in the field of online dating. A 2022 Pew survey revealed that 52% of Americans said they had encountered a potential scammer on the dating app. One student comments, “It’s hard to tell what a person is really like online. You don’t see their reactions. You don’t see how they react to situations because you start talking online and you see the photos and you think, ‘Oh, she’s so pretty.’ But it could be a leaked photo”
The world of online dating becomes even more dangerous for women, who can end up being harassed or receiving negative attention (or worse). Therefore, opting for a friendship may turn out to be a safer choice for any young woman of the 21st century. Although there is no infallible recipe when it comes to venturing into the world of love, betting on the closest options can be a way of making sure that it turns out well and does not remain a simple anecdote.
