According to a recent study by the UK Telegraph, singles who are 55 and older are getting the most action when it comes to dating. Two-thirds of them have joined an online dating site compared to one-fifth of their twenty-something counterparts. They are also more successful: on average per person, they have dated eight people they’ve met online, and formed relationships with two. They are also more willing to try new dating methods like speed dating and matchmaking services.
No, this news didn’t discourage me. I am thrilled that older singles are putting themselves out there. It makes me wonder though if there is still a stigma among the 20-somethings when it comes to online dating. Or more to the point, where exactly are they meeting people and what happens after they do?
The study didn’t research all of the new techy ways to find a date, including social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, which seem to be the mainstays for the under-30 crowd. If these were included, would it dismiss these findings? And would the older crowd still be more successful in finding a match? It seems that social-network dating lends itself to a more casual approach to dating (like hooking up).
Maybe online dating is a thing of the past, or maybe there is something to be said for the moxy and good attitude older singles seem to have when it comes to dating…what are your thoughts?
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
This explains why men old enough to be my father are approaching me more and more. I honestly could not figure out why I am attracting guys who could use a senior citizens discount on our date, but now that I read your post, I completely get it.
I think OD is as popular as ever, and there is not much of a stigma any more. Okay, some people say it’s not for them – but I’m quite open about being on certain sites and no one sniggers. You’re right about the casual approach benefit of Facebook, though that Are You Interested application is a cattle market – I’ve done a few posts on that on my own blog (http://plentymorefishoutofwater.blogspot.com/)…drop by some time.
Ah, the ‘…drop’ broke my link. Ah well, serves me right for being spammy. Only included it because it’s my first time here. I’ll be back…
The time that work requires would be the only reason for that.