How millennials date today: new trends to watch out

People like to simplify things because they become anxious about the complexity of the world. It seems easy and convenient to evaluate any phenomenon in three ways: “it’s black,” “it’s white” and “I don’t care.” Therefore, when the popular theory of generations took shape, everyone grasped at it. Why not? It makes everything clear. The news regularly talks about Millennials and Generation Z and the many ways they create consternation and older folks, who are labelled as Baby Boomers and Generation X.

Do representatives of different groups, in particular Baby Boomers and Millennials have different dating cultures or tend to build romantic relationships in various ways? Yes, certainly, they do. At present, looking at a great number of couples, we may notice a lot of people born between 1980 and 2000 get married or live in a family or other permanent partnership. Hence, we would like to analyze how millennials date and what dating means for millennials.

Having grown up in the atmosphere of opportunities, including the chance to find a potential soulmate online, they have a wide choice of candidates, who can be reached by sending a text message. Psychotherapists believe they have got used to manipulating things they want, so they aren’t interested in a long-term relationship. Is it true? On the other hand, if people never fell in love after a heartbreak, the world would be full of singles.

However, sometimes it seems today people would like to date for the sake of dating; this shows that already in this generation one of the greatest concerns is that Gen Y will be looked at as adults that give up on love.

What are the best approaches to looking for dates for millennials? In the epoch of information technologies, they are looking for a suitable partner with the help of various platforms, applications and web-sites. A huge variety of options leads to a so-called paradox of choice. People are always apprehensive, because they’re afraid to make a mistake and choose an inappropriate partner.

Representatives of Gen Y increasingly are pairing up with people who match them on a number of issues, including wealth and education. It’s leading to “assortative mating,” or when people pick spouses who have similar backgrounds. Although people say they marry for love, the economic pressures on youngsters appear to weigh on their ability and willingness to get hitched. While 3% of Gen X and 4% of Baby Boomers have never been married and don’t want to be, that figure jumps to 9% for Gen Y. Obviously, their priorities are education, career, travelling and gaining new experiences.

Nevertheless, in 2020 and 2021, as social distancing became a new norm, it was a tough time for singles. Many places youngsters used to go to connect with others were closed, but people’s need for human connection was more urgent than ever. During the pandemic, the global web emerged as one of a few places young people could go for much needed human interaction. Though now people often communicate with the help of text messages, in our humble opinion, it will hardly replace lively interaction.

Thinking how to date a millennial? Generational labels do not explain the bulk of differences among individuals. However, they simultaneously shape and reflect our perceptions about the roles of younger and older people in our society. People of Gen Y want a better half they can unite with and love. They prefer their romantic partner to be equal, a good co-parent (if they want children) and their best friend.