COVID-19 + Dating + Risk Tolerance

Credit: Geralt/Pixababy

Before becoming an entrepreneur, I was an Infectious Diseases Specialist. In the US, we are experiencing an increase in cases, beginning to assemble a disease containment model for COVID-19, and deciphering misinformation which results in panic in our daily living and our financial markets. ANY mortality is terrible. This disease is shortening the lives of those that have chronic illness. Does the knowledge of this fact change our dating behavior?

When it comes to dating and the desire to find love, people are more apt to take risks.

Let’s look at the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Despite knowing risk about unprotected sex, we currently see a rise in STD cases for 15 to 24-year-olds who account for 50% of new cases. If we didn’t see behavior change at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic or reduction in STD rates now, would we see differences for COVID-19?  According to Michael Kaye, OkCupid’s Global Communications Manager, “We also recently asked our daters if they’re still willing to go out on dates and saw a massive spike in responses around the world. We found that 88% of respondents around the world on OkCupid are still dating (92% in the United States)”. As Justyna Kedra, Founder of WE Rule, explained: “To be honest I didn’t even think about Coronavirus until someone asked me ‘we should finally go on a date but are you corona-free?’”.

What will people do? What’s the future of dating look like?

When you calculate acquiring COVID-19 and its recovery and if it has a larger impact in your life, it will change your approach. “As a single mom, I don’t want the additional risk. I have been seeing someone for a couple of months, but he is still going to work and I’m not comfortable with his exposure level. It was not very serious in any case, though he is nice and our time together was pleasant. If I were to get sick, I don’t know who would take care of my kiddo”. SG, San Francisco.

I also think the desire for love will outpace an epidemic.

We are coping with unknown factors about the virus and constant quarantine worldwide. Italy’s disease containment strategy is similar to NYC’S TB strategy, prison or fine for those that are non-compliant. In the midst of US quarantine, I predict a greater use of video and communication in dating apps. I don’t expect people to take known risk if they don’t have to, but I also think the desire for love will outpace an epidemic.

Dating activities also mimic the world’s general concern. When we have concerns about an epidemic coupled with media coverage and misinformation in the public, people will at first have fear and the need to quell that fear.  According to Michael Kaye, OkCupid’s Global Communications Manager, “There was actually a 188% increase in coronavirus mentions on OkCupid profiles between January and February, and a 71% increase in coronavirus mentions between January and March”.

Renowned serial entrepreneur, TV personality, and Co-Founder of LokoVivek Jain, reports that “We have seen a 62%  increase in both new users, and engagement from existing users, since the fears from Covid19 reached mainstream media.  Because we are video-based, we give singles who are apprehensive about going out in public during these times an avenue to make a connection with others while being in the comforts of their own home”. Similarly, Say Allo’s CEO, Zackary Lewis shared that they have experienced a 350% increase in video date sessions and 20% of new profiles have used the word “coronavirus” in their profile.

There’s also been roughly 15 million new conversations among OkCupid daters in March.

Unlike HIV/AIDS that can be tracked through a sexual partner notification, the coronavirus is harder to contain. The tracking of disease begins with everyone you’ve encountered, the frequency of coughing, and everywhere that person went. Will this slow down dating activities? “The interesting thing though is that even for those who are not dating IRL and are instead staying home binging Netflix, they’re still matching with people online. In fact, there have been about 50 million new conversations started among daters over the past month, and we’ve seen a 7% increase in new conversations over the last 5 days. There’s also been roughly 15 million new conversations among OkCupid daters in March (i.e. daters who have not spoken previously). explains Kaye.

I do hope that Neil Degrasse Tyson is right that now we reached a period where this is a social experiment on will people listen to scientists. Perhaps dating apps can create segmented populations. We can design categories based on risk tolerance and create games or prompts during quarantine periods. But, what do I know? I’m just a scientist.

This Explains Why You’re Having So Much Trouble Finding Real Love


Photo credit: Fedor Ouspenski/Pixababy

More and more of our digital dating world keeps coming up with new terms for bad dating behavior. Thought it was just happening to millennials? Think again. My Happiness Hypothesis study found that it is happening across the globe to both men and women for millennials and GenX.

Dating apps are creating a paradox effect in dating: it’s giving off the illusion of many choices while making it harder to find viable options.

Is technology driving dating, sex and emotion? Are dating patterns just an extension of how we behave on social networks? We’re connecting, not committing. We are only broadcasting the positive aspects of our lives on social media-the highlight reels. If we only broadcast the “look at me”, are we able to deal with the side of rejection, detachment, and non-commitment? In life, you don’t always only get highlight reels. Who is by your side when the non-highlight reel moments occur in life? The drama queen? Baby daddy? Your favorite social stalker? The truth is that dating has become even more irrational.

As a Behavioral Scientist, what amazes me is the hypersensitivity we all seem to have about almost all aspects of life EXCEPT relationships. Isn’t it interesting that we stand up against bullying, shaming, or political un-correctness; but with people we have interest in we act with total disregard? Is it technology that’s driving our behavior or that we are to attached to our devices and are cognitively evolving?

For the Happiness Hypothesis Study Your Happiness Hypothesis Study, I conducted in-depth interviews with men and women, ranging from ages 28-73, that are active online dating app users and found that:

  • 80% reported it being easier to ghost, bench, gaslight or breadcrumb because of the lack of communication and face-to-face interaction
  • 80% of millennials reported having experienced ghosting, benching, gaslighting or breadcrumbing firsthand
  • 50% of GenXers reported having experienced ghosting, benching, gaslighting or breadcrumbing firsthand
  • 45% reported the average length of dates in between ghosting someone was 8
  • 50% reported an average of at least 3 months before reaching out again to the person they ghosted

While you waited for a response and wondered why you weren’t worthy a response, the other person had about 8 dates. We’re treating people like we do our social media streams. The shiniest object is what we stop at, then move onto the next shiny object. This approach to people and relationships is creating a paradox effect. It is also creating a deeper dependence on what I call, “vanity validation”, the one you portray on your social networks and the true you, for some, creates a double consciousness. Your lauded self on social media is constantly seeking more validation through electronic likes, not life.

Dealing with this as normative relationship behavior begins to erode hope for a partner and begins a cycle of lowered expectations.

After reviewing my data, I found some correlations that corresponded to styles of behavior. Detachment. That’s what is driving the behavior. So, I developed what I call, the Detachment Styles theory. Afterall, it is their detachment to outcomes that is making people behave the way they do. Sick of showing up for a date that you think is not even going to work out? Ghost. You want to avoid confrontation with another human being? Ghost. You found the person somewhat compatible but now don’t? Ghost. Sick of your job? Ghost? Think the job is going to suck after the interview is set up? Ghost. Want to avoid anything that might have the slightest potential of triggering something within you? Ghost.

The Four Distinct Detachment Styles (c)

Ambivalent. This style often rationalizes themselves out of opportunities often. They don’t want to put in any additional effort into a relationship because they predict the outcome will be negative. They also avoid confrontation and will abruptly leave situations without forewarning.

Dismissive. This style often replaces their desires with some other compensatory behavior. They have a fear of faulty decision making and they don’t trust themselves emotionally.

Secure-stable. This style seeks security and stability in their environment and they adapt to changes in their environment with ease. They proceed with caution because they often have patterns and cycles of dating the same types.

Displaced. They attach to their digital world and persona as a source of support and human interaction. Their sense of self is dependent on their digital selves that seek “vanity validation”. They’re fulfilled by the world that they have created and do not necessarily derive happiness by being around people physically.

How Much Does Heartache Cost?

For the next couple of months, people will opt for cuffing or returning to their exes. But, the part that hurts for most of my clients is that the very thing they were trying to avoid-heartache and loneliness-is what inevitably happens. Love is the hardest decision we ever make in life. What other decision takes decades to get right? And at what cost? Is it your sanity? Is it your money that you regret spending? It’s not just money, it’s years of your life. I’ve put together this quick guide to help you save money and years of your life. Let’s do the math together.

Women: Appearance (clothing, shoes, makeup, creams, underwear, grooming, etc) Calculate each application and each purchase for each date.

Men: Appearance (clothing, shoes, creams, underwear, grooming, dry cleaning, etc) Calculate each application and each purchase for each date.

Actual meet up/date costs. This can range from $5 to $100 depending on where you go, what city you live in and what you’re doing. Calculate each date and multiply that by your dating life cycle.

Length of time during break up. Each year of you not being in the market has a cost to your age. Take away those years lost.

Credit: Pixababy

Love takes decades to get right. Factor in 10 years to perfect this decision-making ability.

Women: Take away five years of your reproductive life cycle.

Men: Take away five years to rebuild yourself financially.

Factor in past relationship failures and multiply that by three. On average we don’t break out of patterns and cycles till we are faced with the pattern repeatedly. Generally, three times a charm.

Now factor all of this in over your dating life cycle. What is your total?

The Science of Happiness: Your Happiness Hypothesis Method.

The Science of Happiness: Your Happiness Hypothesis Method.

 

Happiness is both a state of being and a condition you can create. Did you know that 40% of your happiness is determined by your thoughts, behaviors and actions? Only 10% is determined by circumstances you deal with in life. How you react to circumstances is what creates happiness. Your emotional default mode can be positive or negative, but that determines your outlook and how you’ll react to your life circumstances.

Happiness has a neurochemical process that can be used to create that state as part of how you approach life. Endorphin and serotonin levels are the two receptors responsible for regulating mood and happiness. The best ways to enhance these levels are by making it a practice to consciously focusing on positive outcomes.

Focus on the optimal rather than the suboptimal.

By examining our own logic and making it daily practice to use positive thinking, it rewrites our chemistry and our ability to create happiness as your emotional default mode. Finding love is the hardest decision we ever make in life. It’s one of the only decisions that takes decades to get right. What makes it take that long is our own faulty logic in who we choose and what we think we want versus need.

I designed the Your Happiness Hypothesis method based on cognitive re-shifting techniques to improve people’s outlook of themselves and their outcomes. Your Happiness Hypothesis helps you have relationship success in your life in a few weeks. Currently, I only offer the service in three targeted areas:

Finding The Right One

Whether you tired of online dating, burnt out, or sick of finding suboptimal partners, The Finding the Right One program is designed to help you find the relationship you deserve. Using a unique method I developed, Your Happiness Hypothesis, we will help you narrow down on what you want versus what you need and provide you with strategies that gets you dating optimally. This approach is rooted in self-awareness and challenges many of the traditional rules you’ve learned and applied. Together, we disrupt these rules with my simple steps and create a unique approach that saves you heartache, frustration and time.

Breakup Recovery

The Breakup Recovery program is a program designed to help you heal from the breakup and find the relationship you deserve.  In this program, we explore your dating patterns, review your relationship history, provide you with an action plan that helps you heal with dignity and avoid repeating patterns that hurt you in the past. This approach is intense with many of my clients report having breakthroughs in 24 hours.

Dating Challenges-Bad Partner Behavior

Are you sick of being ghosted, breadcrumbed, benched or other ridiculous bad partner behavior? Using a unique method I developed, Your Happiness Hypothesis, we will help you recognize other people’s suboptimal patterns, develop strategies that help you avoid these patterns, and create an action plan to help you find the relationship you deserve. This approach is designed to help you detect someone else’s bs 100% of the time and prevent it in the future.

Are you interested in creating Your Happiness Hypothesis in your life?

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