Bumble Offers a How To Guide for Dating in 2021
Contributed by: kellyseal on Monday, December 14 2020 @ 09:10 am
Last modified on Monday, December 14 2020 @ 09:28 am
Dating app Bumble is offering its users a guidebook for dating as we enter the new year, after COVID disrupted social norms in 2020.
The company conducted a survey of its users to find that 40% admitted they no longer knew how to date in person, and a whopping 2/3 of respondents said navigating the COVID dating landscape made them uncomfortable. Bumble responded by offering a new guidebook entitled Bumble’s New Dating 101 in 2021[*1] to carve a path forward for these uncertain daters. The guide includes how to have a conversation about dating, how to approach sex and intimacy, and how to safeguard your mental health during a pandemic.
This is a particularly anxious time for singles entering cuffing season, where they search for companions to share the long cold winter months. This year, it’s happening on top of a second wave of lockdowns due to COVID, placing a lot of stress on daters to find a quarantine partner quickly. In fact, 83% of respondents told Bumble that they are on dating apps more now, and plan to be on them through the winter, than they have ever been before.
COVID has taken a toll on daters’ mental health and overall happiness, too. More than half of respondents said they felt more disconnected from those closest to them, and two thirds said that they felt even more lonely than they did before the pandemic. Conversely, the study also found that daters have become much more intentional with their dating habits, with 63% sharing that the pandemic helped them “figure out what really matters,” according to Mashable[*2] .
"Since the onset of COVID-19, our community has experienced an unprecedented disruption to every aspect of their social life, including dating," Jemma Ahmed, Head of Insights at Bumble, said in a statement. "Our research shows daters find dating complicated and overwhelming, and the stakes are high for connecting in the age of COVID-19 when considering health and safety risks."
The new dating guide includes practical steps for a pandemic dating approach – including how to have the “Covid conversation,” which includes asking certain questions of your date to understand how risk-averse he or she is before you meet in person. Bumble asked infectious diseases expert Dr. Ravina Kullar to address “attitudes towards social distancing [and] wearing masks” before agreeing to meet up, as well as how to avoid feeling intimidated when you initiate these important conversations.
The guide also offers advice on sex and intimacy, with experts weighing in on safe practices (like quarantining for two weeks or getting two negative Covid tests before having sex).
There are also suggestions on how to reduce the awkwardness of Covid conversations, including relying on advice from experts in the scientific community, having a positive approach (“hey, I’m excited to meet you”) rather than focusing only on your fears, and using humor as a means of communicating how you feel.
Bumble also advises singles to meet outside until you are feeling more comfortable with your date. “Once you really get to know each other's practices,” said Dr. Kullar, “maybe that's date five, date six, you can go to a restaurant, sit outside, grab a glass of wine, take off that mask and then maybe get to know somebody a little bit better.” In other words, take things a little more slowly than normal.