Philosopher Posted February 14, 2016 Posted February 14, 2016 Given that it is Valentine's day today and that therefore there is a bit more pressure than normal to at least be dating someone at this time of the year, I wonder what people's thoughts are on the best and worst times of the year to be dating. For me, it seems that late spring and summer are definitely the best times to be dating, while winter seems to be the worst. I have been doing online dating for a while now and most of my dates have come in the spring and summer months. Those dates at these times of the year also seem to be more successful, in that I am more likely to get subsequent dates with a women. In winter I find, getting dates is harder, flaky behaviour is more common and those dates I do end up going on are less likely to succeed. I think winter is bad for dating for several reasons. In December, with it being Christmas people are likely to be busy with parties, seeing relatives and friends, etc and so are less likely to be free for dating. As a result getting dates is harder and people are more likely to cancel dates at short notice as they often have something else come up. If you do get a date during this time, they may not be able to see you again for several weeks, by which time you will have forgotten about them. Also in winter, immediately following on from Christmas is the New Year, with a considerable number of singles making new years' resolutions to "find love". On Online dating sites there are suddenly loads of new members try to score dates. In my experience dating sites advertise new profiles above older profiles, meaning that if you have been on the dating site for a while you will get less attention. The new year is followed by Valentine's day, in which a number of people can't bear to be dateless for. These Valentine's day desperadoes, coupled with those with dating new year resolutions mean the competition for dates is considerably greater in January and February compared with the rest of the year. From March onwards, many of those whom joined online dating sites in January, hoping to find someone in the new year or for Valentine's day will have given up, reducing the competition. By the summer, with the weather being better, people on the whole seem to be more relaxed about dating and in a better mood for meeting new people. As a result dates seem easier to get and generally go better.
d0nnivain Posted February 14, 2016 Posted February 14, 2016 I think that it's tough from Thanksgiving through Valentine's Day is tough. There is so much pressure & not enough time.
yxalitis Posted February 14, 2016 Posted February 14, 2016 You should never feel pressure to date! Dating, love, and relationships are about something you find between you and another person, no one external to that should be a factor. If you're single, the time of year can't be a factor to drive you to find someone...because that's totally the wrong reason. Get your life together, be happy with who you are, and comfortable being in your space. If you can't be happy alone, you won't be happy with someone else.
thecrucible Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 Hi Philosopher, I have seen your previous threads and I can totally relate to how you're feeling regarding online dating. Personally it's becoming uninspiring for me. All my long-term relationships in the past have started after meeting irl and nothing has changed that yet. I know from articles I've read that January sees a spike in people registering with online dating sites. I think this is misleading. I agree about winter not being great for dating. At least here in Scotland, there's just not very good weather which limits potential interactions with strangers and the chances of meeting someone. Many people are also busy with family obligations. However summer is a great time of year when everyone is on a natural high. During the summer there are more large scale outdoor events which see so many people gathering in one place and you may meet someone. The weather lightens everyone's spirits so maybe we find it easier to interact with new people. There are also more weddings in the summer and people can meet there. My main aim right now is simply to get through the winter. I always get a low mood in winter and I only brighten up when there's more sunshine. Living in the north of Scotland and where I am situated, there are great long days in summer when it doesn't get dark until 11pm and gets light again at about 5 or 6am. In the winter the days are much shorter and at its darkest the sun is down at 3pm and not up again until say 9am the next day. My mood responds to the longer days with more daylight. Then with the happier mood, I am definitely outdoors more and more likely to meet someone.
Ruby Slippers Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 I totally agree that spring and summer are prime dating times, and winter is the toughest. Everything goes to ground in winter, gets tucked away and broken down. Then in spring, new hopes, new excitement, and new life emerge. I live in the Deep South and just did my big spring plant today, so I'm ready for new growth and greenery
Shanex Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 I like a summer fling myself. Looking back though, I've mostly been dating or in RS during fall/winter/early springs.
Larryville Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 I think that it's tough from Thanksgiving through Valentine's Day is tough. There is so much pressure & not enough time. While I have done the online dating thing for some time, I never really thought about this issue, best time of year and processing it since 2011, not a single relationship (using that loosely, dating, whatever) has NEVER lasted past January. As someone said something happens around March and ends right around Christmas or just after. Right now talking generally to 3 women, nothing serious get to know phase, met one thus far. I like all three but this is the usual pattern. Comes back to what could be another thread, seen all 3 on current OLD site from way back, 2 of the 3 contacted me first this time, the other I contacted before and no reply but friendly reply from her this time around. Just goes to show the fallacy of OLD. We are just tend to breeze by each other and recycle each other maybe this is the reason for the “seasonal” patterns we all experience. Time is the other thing. My work gives me ultimate flexibility, don’t have kid, family, work time issues however everyone else seems to have some time killing issue makes me wonder why most are on dating sites… well I know why but…
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