A significant shift is underway in the realm of dating as a new generation of daters approaches their search for love with a practical mindset. Gone are the days of solely relying on chemistry or surface-level attraction. Instead, these modern daters are wielding their red flag radar, using it as a powerful tool to navigate the complexities of romantic relationships.
With experiences and lessons from previous generations, these daters recognize the importance of discerning when evaluating potential partners. They understand that investing time and emotions into unhealthy or incompatible relationships can lead to unnecessary heartache and disappointment. Consequently, they have embraced a more practical perspective that places value on compatibility, shared goals, and emotional well-being.
As the concept of red flags gains prominence, these daters have become adept at recognizing warning signs that indicate potential issues or incompatibilities. Indian dating app QuackQuack ran a survey with over 12,000 participants, of which 46% were from Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. It was noted that "the new-age daters look at people, especially potential romantic partners, from the more rational red flag and green flag angle."
The survey mentioned how the new age daters are now seeing and falling in love. Here are a few out-of-the-box views:
We have grown up with the idea of a fairytale romance where we may fall in love with the one just by seeing them once aka love at first sight. But is it an actual possibility or a matter of fiction? For the GenZ this may not be the case. As per the survey, "there's a distinct difference between the way GenZ and millennials approach and handle love, says 39% of daters between 18 to 23. The GenZ daters don't believe in love at first sight. It can only be a mere attraction if it is based on the first appearances, as demonstrated by 21% of GenZ daters from Tier 1 cities."
When it comes to love, we all can agree that looks are not the only thing that matters. However, the new generation of daters is much more mindful of this fact. There is a lot more than GenZ considers before falling in love. "Ranging between the kind of jobs they have, educational qualification to financial status, there are an N number of things a GenZ dater considers before allowing themselves to open up their hearts to a potential romantic partner. 24% of these daters between the age of 20 to 24 explain how being thorough helps them avoid heartbreaks and, more importantly, regrets."
As a millennial, I can very well say that with the rise in technology, we did start to see the background of people through social media. But technology is still not the most important aspect when it comes to falling in love with someone, physically meeting was more our thing. But when it comes to GenZ, they are much more equipped for social media and dating apps. So they know what to do and how.?
"As seen from the survey results, GenZ prefers online dating, but they also approach their match offline before remotely committing to anything related to love and romance. 33% of women from tier 1 and 2 cities disclosed that the new generation of daters is more meticulous about background checking their matches. They comb through social media handles more thoroughly than Millennials can imagine; from checking the geo-tags on the posts to checking who has been tagged and who tagged their matches, these daters use technology to their advantage."
As mentioned, physical traits may be something that grabs attention but it is the personality that GenZ see the most now. As per the survey, "GenZ daters don't care for the tall, dark, and handsome. They are more into the intelligent, emotionally available, and sorted kind. 36% of men between 20 to 25 say that men who are capable of showing their emotions without being restrained by societal norms that dictate men can't show emotions- it's a huge turn-on for the new-gen women. 7 out of 10 women between 18 to 23 expressed that they are attracted to a man's emotional capacities more than physical ones."
Even when it comes to dating apps, it is not just about seeing pictures and swiping right to match with someone. The steps to actually get things started have increased quite a bit. "33% of male daters from Tier 1 and 2 cities disclosed that more steps have been added to the process of falling in love. These men explained that you don't just see a profile, like their display picture, and send a request. You cross-check this person in every social media handle possible. If you find mutual friends, you check with them to gain information that'll help you evaluate whether it will be the right choice to match with this person. Once you match, you chat, but you don't meet just yet. You have a virtual meet-up. But there are still no tags attached. Finally, you meet up in person. And only then you allow yourself to pursue this relationship romantically. It's a long process, but it's better and safer this way, says 27% of QuackQuack's GenZ users."
When we fall in love, we hope that this is it for us and we will have this person in our lives forever. For GenZ, the approach is much more realistic. "17% of daters say they don't expect every relationship to be the one. They expressed being aware that relationships come and go, mostly because GenZ is never static; they are constantly shifting to different cities for higher studies or career growth. Commitments shift with time, say 11% of men below 23."
This new generation is surely teaching all of us the practical approach to love and well, here is hoping it will save us from a lot of heartbreaks.?