You're About To See These Dating Trends Take Over In 2023
There’s nothing like getting together with your besties over brunch and spilling all the tea about your love lives—swapping hookup stories, gushing about cute coffee dates, or even confessing your recent romantic fumbles. Beyond sharing with your squad, you might have taken to TikTok and jumped on the über-viral “dating wrapped” trend, in which many people shared hilarious reviews of their dating and sex lives over the course of 2022. Judging by the 36.1 million views this TikTok trend garnered, it’s been a wild year for dating—but now that cuffing season and the year at large are both coming to a close, it’s time to look toward the future.
So... what trends should singles expect to see take over the dating scene in 2023? Women's Health asked the experts from all the major dating apps, and they delivered allll the juicy deets.
For starters, daters are looking toward possibility and positivity in 2023, leaving the insecurity and confusion of the past few years behind, according to Plenty of Fish’s dating expert Kate MacLean. From 202o through 2022, “singles shifted their approach to dating, largely due to factors tied to the pandemic,” she says. “As we begin to put the pandemic behind us, we’re seeing how singles are redefining dating in order to make more real, authentic connections.” And with skyrocketing self-confidence among singles, dating in 2023 will be all about “main character energy,” notes MacLean, as people become “more certain about deal-breakers and their self-worth.”
But that’s not singles can expect from the new year. Ahead, dating app experts share the top six dating trends they predict for 2023. (You’re welcome.)
1. Budget-conscious dates are in.
Everyone’s least favorite wingperson? Inflation. While it began to fall in late 2022, daters might still dread looking at their bank account after dinner and drinks. Because of this, experts from several dating apps predict that the amount of money singles are willing to spend on dates is decreasing. An unnamed representative from Bumble shares that 28 percent of users surveyed say they are starting to get clear on their financial boundaries when it comes to dating, and a whopping 57 percent shared that they prefer a more low-key and less costly date than something over-the-top fancy.
MacLean from Plenty of Fish agrees, sharing that 48 percent of Millennial and Gen Z singles proposed more affordable date ideas in lieu of flashy ones. It looks like singles are into savvy saving, so don't be surprised if you find yourself going dutch on a coffee date or DIYing a romantic dinner for two with a picnic in the park.
2. Non-monogamy is on the rise.
When you're single, staying open-minded to different types of relationships can widen your dating pool and open you up to opportunities you might have missed otherwise. Keep that mind open in 2023, and you'll be in good company. Fifteen percent of Gen Z Hinge users and 15 percent of those who identify as LGBTQ+ report that they’re exploring their dating intentions or are open to non-monogamy, according to Logan Ury, Hinge’s director of relationship science.
Bumble user data suggests the same, with 16 percent of the app's respondents saying they’re now open to exploring non-monogamy for the first time. Shan Boodram, Bumble’s sex and relationship expert, predicts that as our society slowly adjusts to sex positivity and more open conversations around sex and relationships, this trend is bound to continue through 2023 and beyond.
3. More women are making the first move.
As we stroll into 2023 and leave this less-than-favorable year for women behind, it seems only fitting that ladies around the globe are taking their power back—especially when it comes to dating. While apps like Bumble have been encouraging women to make the first move for a while, this year in particular has seen a major uptick in female-identifying users exhibiting that behavior on other platforms as well. Because of the tangible benefits women are seeing when they shoot their shot first, the trend will likely continue into 2023.
This year on OkCupid, “more than eight in 10 women said they would send the first message, and it's benefiting these women,” says Michael Kaye, dating expert and head of global communications at the app. “Women who said they tend to send the first message get 55 percent more likes and almost 60 percent more matches than those who don't, and conversations initiated by women last longer than those started by men.” So, go ahead and press send!
4. Sober dates are sexy.
While you’ve probably received the “Wanna grab a drink?” message more often than not on dating apps this past year, experts at several of the apps predict that dry dates will be all the rage in 2023.
A vast majority—75 percent—of Hinge users report that they no longer prefer first dates that involve drinking, but rather shared activities that can boost a sense of connection and allow them to genuinely get to know the other person, according to experts at the dating app. The team at Tinder found a similar trend, with 72 percent of their users noting that they don’t drink or only do so occasionally on their profiles. In fact, the use of the beer and wine emojis decreased significantly in Tinder bios in the last year as well. Cheers to that… but maybe over coffee instead.
5. Situationships are not longer sh*t-uations.
Although the dreaded “talking phase” and gray areas in new relationships can make dating frustrating for anyone, it looks like 2023 just might become the year of the situationship. Tinder's dating app experts share that, rather than viewing it as a lack of commitment, more singletons are now seeing the term as a valid way to describe their connections.
In 2022, there was a 49 percent increase in Tinder users including the term in their bios, and Gen Z daters expressed that they actually prefer situationships in order to relieve some of the pressure felt while developing a relationship.
6. Emotional vulnerability is more important than ever.
As the saying goes, there is strength in vulnerability, and the past year of dating has proven that strength to have paid off for men in particular. While toxic masculinity is totally still a thing, it seems that 2023 will see a continuation of men facing their toxic traits head on and learning to process their emotions and express themselves; a representative at Bumble shares that 74 percent of male users worldwide have said they’ve examined their own behaviors and now have a better understanding than ever of toxic masculinity.
The majority of men (52 percent) on Bumble are starting to combat the idea that they shouldn’t show weakness by revealing their emotions, according to user data. Beyond dating app convos, 38 percent of male Bumble users report that they have started talking more candidly about their feelings with the other men in their lives.
And on Hinge, 93 percent of users look for emotional vulnerability in a partner, and 61 percent rank emotional vulnerability as more important to them than things like income, height, or even attractiveness.
Guess it's time to swap out sharing your height in your bio with sharing your love language! What? It'll work—just wait and see in 2023.
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