Don’t get me wrong, I’m as excited about Hot Girl Summer as the next chick, but I wouldn’t mind finding a partner now that all of my friends coupled up in quarantine. That said, it has to be the right partner—I don’t do filler boyfriends! Right now, it seems like dating trends are either all-in or all-out, with folks committing to a single summer to make up for a year trapped inside or participating in the Relationship Renaissance, a term coined by Hinge’s Director of Relationship Science, Logan Ury.
Ury and Hinge definitely know a thing or two about the latest dating trends, and in a recent study, they polled 2,179 global Hinge users to assess exactly what they wanted their post-pandemic dating lives to look like. The result? A rise in relationships; hardly the sexy single summer I expected after a year of virtual dating!
Below, STYLECASTER chatted with Ury on all things dating apps, post-pandemic hookups and whether or not we should be putting our vaccination status on our Hinge profiles. Personally, I’m vaxxed and waxxed—and I want the world to know it!
STYLECASTER: What makes you think people are seeking relationships over casual hookups this summer?
LOGAN URY: As the world opens back up, many people are predicting a “hot vax summer.” But Hinge Labs—the in-house team of relationship scientists that I lead—has found that this isn’t the case for most singles. In fact, 75 percent of Hinge users said they’re looking for a relationship this summer, not something casual.
After a year of being isolated at home, these daters want to find their person and are committing to dating as their number one priority—above work, family, and friends. Get ready for the Relationship Renaissance.
SC: Why do you think people are leaning more towards relationships?
LU: The pandemic was a jolt to our system. It forced us to spend time by ourselves and question our pre-pandemic values and behavior. This self-reflection led Hinge users to become more intentional about who they are and reassess what’s important to them in life. And for the majority of Hinge daters, that is finding love and a meaningful relationship.
SC: Did Hinge see an increase or decrease of users during the height of the pandemic?
LU: We saw a huge increase in app usage during the pandemic. Back in March 2020, we saw a 30 percent increase in messages among Hinge users. In 2020 overall, we saw a 14 percent increase in dates, both virtual and in-person, as well as a 63% increase in global app downloads.
As pandemic restrictions continue to ease, and there’s increased access to vaccines, we’ve seen that singles are eager to get back out there and find meaningful relationships. In fact, last month we saw an 8 percent increase in dates month over month.
Courtesy of Hinge; Adobe.
SC: Any dating app profile tips for someone seeking a serious relationship this summer?
LU: At Hinge, our goal is to get our community off the app and onto great dates, and that all starts with our in-depth profiles. The key to a great Hinge profile is selecting photos and Prompts that show us who you are. Think about your profile as your opening line in a conversation—something your match can respond to or ask a follow up question about.
When answering your Prompts, try to skip the small talk and go deep. Select Prompts that allow you to be vulnerable and help the other person get to know you. On your profile, you should be upfront and call out what you want in a relationship. This will attract users who share similar values and intentions as you and weed out those who don’t.
Successful profiles also include a mixture of both humor and vulnerability, so lean in to both your silly side and your more serious one. Above all else, focus on presenting your authentic self. Your profile should be an extension of your personality.
SC: Hot take—do you think users should mention if they’re vaccinated on their profiles?
LU: Absolutely! The dating landscape will continue to change as people get vaccinated and social distancing guidelines shift. Different daters will have different comfort levels and it’s a tricky time to navigate, so we encourage users to share their vaccination status on their profiles.
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