What does it mean to be single in America? Match.com put together a study with some interesting results. They selected their survey sample based on the US census with a representative sample of ethnicity, gender, geography, age, etc.
Dr. Helen Fisher presented their findings to some single/dating bloggers in New York City this past Saturday. Here are a few things I found interesting:
You can be madly in love at any age. It’s not just for young people.
Men are more romantic than women. In fact, gay men were the most romantic out of everyone. Why? Apparently when there are barriers to love you become more romantic.
Single men are twice as likely to say their first love was before the age of 10. That actually sounds about right…I mean isn’t that about the time when puberty is beginning its harsh reality in girls? Boys are going to take notice even if they don’t realize what’s going on. It’s also true that men fall in love faster than women because they are more visual. Men are more likely to believe in love at first sight because of their visual nature.
Anyone who has spent time in the online dating world has lamented running into a profile riddled with poor grammar. According to Dr. Fisher, people with better grammar will probably get further in life, hence why singles pay attention to the way someone uses their words.
45% have had a friends with benefits (or FWB) relationship turn into a long term partnership in 2012. Friends with benefits & one-night stands are emerging as a new stage in courting process.
90% of singles who want to get married are optimistic about marriage and think they can stay married forever.
Speaking of the marrieds who were surveyed in this survey, what do married people miss about single life? An independent schedule is the only thing they mentioned.
Married people have more sex, orgasms & go out just as often as singles. Let’s face it. They only have more sex because they have a steady source of it. It’s not easy to have sex on a regular basis if you can’t even get to a second date!
Speaking of getting to that second date, 40% of singles have fallen in love with someone they didn’t initially find attractive. Dr. Fisher said, and I agree, you should try to think of reasons to say yes when on a date. My rule of thumb when I was actively dating was that unless I felt frightened or appalled, I would always give a guy a second date. Why? If you hang around long enough, you might realize that he’s smart, funny, sweet… She could be supportive, a great lover…Take a chance! If you would want someone to take a chance on you, why wouldn’t you do the same for someone else?
You can read more about Match.com’s Singles in America study by clicking this link to read it on their blog or click here to listen to Dr. Helen Fisher’s presentation.
This is a sponsored post for Match.com.