Sponsored by:

Has the recession revived dating or made us more desperate?

user-pic
Anna Pulley on 07.06.09 at 12:30 PM | 1 comment
guy.jpg

via awkwardfamilyphotos.com

We've been in a recession for 18 months now (Man, that seems like a long time) and pretty much every sector has been hit - even the porn industry asked for a federal bailout - but those in the dating biz have seen a recent boom. According to yesterday's Chicago Associated Press article, Dating downturn: Hearts flutter when markets stutter:

Some singles are now hunting for dates with the same fervor others are showing hunting for jobs. On matchmaking Web site eHarmony, membership is up 20 percent despite monthly fees of up to $60, and activity has soared 50 percent since September at OkCupid.
It makes sense. No one's going to stimulate your economy for you. You have to put yourself out there and start dating if you're going to have any success.
As Bathsheba Birman, co-founder of the Chicago dating event Nerds at Heart, said: "They're looking for something that's genuine in a world that isn't very secure. With headlines full of why you can't trust established institutions that you thought you could ... people are re-examining their own values."

Re-examining our values, however, appears to translate to lowering our standards.

Instead, the shifts are subtle: a devoted singleton going on more first dates; casual daters seeking long-term relationships; partners who might not have been attractive a while back -- someone younger or older, someone who lives in a 'geographically undesirable' area -- looking much better.
Desperate times call for desperate measures it seems, but I still refuse to date anyone with "willing to relocate" or "living life to the fullest" in their profile. And don't get me started on "likes to laugh." Unless you're the Unabomber, you don't need to reference your ability to laugh. Kthxbai.

Related:

New speed dating study says men and women are equally choosy when picking a mate

Meet Chicago's most eligible singles

Dating advice gone wrong

Published in news and tagged , , , , ,

Share this entry

  • Share on Facebook
  • Tweet this entry
  • Stumble this entry
  • Digg this entry
  • Email this entry

Recommended for you

1 Comment

jdl said:

user-pic

Love the super awkward photo!

Posted on July 8, 2009 4:13 PM
Reply

Leave a Comment?

Some HTML is permitted: a, strong, em

What your comment will look like:

said:

what will you say?
Posted on date

Subscribe via Email

ChicagoNow.com on Digg

POWERED BY digg

ChicagoNow.com on Facebook