Amie the Dating Coach’s Top Dating Trends of 2022
Although we hoped 2022 would be the year to put the pandemic in our review mirror, it’s becoming clear that we can’t predict what will happen next.
Still, as long as you are a happy and healthy single looking for love, 2022 has the potential to be the year that cupid’s arrow hits its target and brings you that forever relationship you’ve always dreamed of.
The last two years may have taught us to expect the unexpected, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some educated guesses on what dating trends we can expect in the coming year. So I have put together a list of my top dating trends for 2022.
Consciously Single
If nothing else, this pandemic has taught us that it’s ok to be alone and that we have to be patient when it comes to finding love. It’s been a time to reflect and understand who we are and what is most important in life.
This means that more and more singles are not just going to jump into any old relationship, instead of making the conscious decision to be single. I’m grateful to hear this as I have been helping singles find lasting love through my Conscious Dating programs for years.
Mindfulness combined with intentional dating will become the norm. Just finding a warm body to cuddle up with just won’t cut it as many singles patiently prioritize finding a long-term partner.
In fact, in the video below I share the latest statistics from a recent study on how dating has changed for the better for 2022. Watch the video below!
Hobby Dates
Most singles have had a lot of time on their hands over the past few years, leading to a more reflective mindset and a focus on the very things that bring them joy.
One of the unexpected consequences of this free time is people picking up old or new hobbies or passions. These hobbies and passions are now being repackaged into a new dating trend where singles say goodbye to the-dinner-and-a-movie-date and hello to the hobby date.
Hobby Dates allow singles to get to know and bond with their dates by participating in like-minded activities like cooking or biking or painting or playing with your pets.
Virtual Dating is Here to Stay
Since the pandemic has pushed so much of the dating universe online, meeting and connecting online with other singles via video chats and other digital means has become the norm.
Even before the COVID-19 virus took over our lives, I was always a big proponent of doing a Zoom or Skype or Facetime or some other video chat platform with your prospective date.
Video dating allows you to safely get to know them and make sure they are authentic with their photos, and see if they feel some connection before you spend the time and effort of meeting in real life.
Some online dating platforms are developing ways for singles to meet through digital dating events like virtual speed-dating and virtual bars.
Prioritizing New Friendships
I am finding that more and more dating sites are adding searches for platonic friends. Singles supplement their search for new love with new friendships that can also be very fulfilling.
Being home alone over the last two years has transformed some old friendships and caused many of us to lose some of our ability to connect with new people.
Making new friends fulfills our need to connect with others and sharpen our conversation and bonding skills so that when that special someone does walk through the door, you will have the tools to attract and keep them.
Women are more Proactive.
Over the past 50 years, women have taken a more active role in their search for love, and this trend will continue in 2022.
In decades past, a woman asking a man out was the exception, not the rule, but gender roles are changing (for the better), allowing women to search for and target a man they find interesting confidently.
And men, well, they love it, as studies have shown the vast majority of men don’t mind when a woman makes the first move.
#Got Vaccine!
It’s become pretty clear that someone’s vaccination status is a critical marker for today’s singles.
Most dating sites and apps have even added a box to check their status in their dating profile. This trend will undoubtedly continue as the virus remains very much in our lives.
#Left or Right?
Very much in line with someone’s vaccination status is their political party. Sadly, singles who possess diametrically different political viewpoints find it challenging to meet in the middle.
So there’s a continued trend for singles to know upfront where a potential partner resides on the political spectrum.
Explori-dating a fun new dating term
Before I met my husband online, I had a particular type of person I wanted to date. They had to be in the suitable age range, height, career type, and a myriad of other all-too-specific details.
Of course, this led me down a path of meeting dud after dud. It wasn’t until I made the conscious choice to expand my dating pool by exploring new types of men.
Simply put, explori-dating means today’s singles are exploring more distant horizons and dipping their toe in a pool of potential dates they otherwise never have explored before.
Smart singles know that being open-minded and giving up the “type” is a liberating feeling that offers a much better chance of finding love by focusing on the compatibility of core values, or as I call Non-negotiables.
These Non-negotiables are the building blocks for all successful, long-lasting relationships. They include things like: the desire of having a family or being treated as s priority in the relationship.
Non-negotiables are so powerful and essential to the dating process that once someone has them, they will date with the comfort of knowing that they will only screen in only the very best partners for them.