Match Dating Expert Shares Dating Trends for 2022

The new year typically brings new dating trends, and according to Match, Zoomancing, icing out, and coupling season will be the breakout stars, at least in the UK.

Match Dating’s Expert Matchmaker Hayley Quinn has predicted that these trends will take off in the new year, after closely watching the pandemic alter dating habits at an unprecedented level.

“Zoomancing,” or virtual dating, isn’t going away anytime soon, she told the U.K.’s Mirror. In fact, Match reported that 18 percent of its users continue to date virtually, even when they could have met in person. This is in large part due to Covid infection surges throughout the last two years and the emergence of new variants that have continued to cause more concern, even as more people get vaccinated. Lockdowns might not be required anymore, but singles remain cautious with people they are just getting to know. Plus, dating virtually offers people a chance to get to know each other before meeting in real life.

“Coupling Season” is another trend that Quinn predicts will take off, specifically as we head into warmer months and people can congregate outside. There tend to be fewer Covid restrictions in the summer, and it’s easier to meet someone at an outdoor party or café. In other words, Zoomancing will lead to actual dating IRL.

This complements dating’s so-called “high season” which began the Sunday after New Year’s Day, which is typically the busiest time for online dating, and lasts through Valentine’s Day. This year might see more virtual winter dating in January, and more in-person dating as we head into summer. 

Quinn notes that typically singles like to be free in the summer so they can meet more people and mingle, but as Match’s latest Singles in America study pointed out, the majority of singles are now looking for deeper relationships and stability, which could mean more serious dating this year, even in the summer.  

The last trend she pointed out is “icing out,” or using Covid as an excuse to ghost you if your match is just not that into you. For example, if you’ve started dating someone but are not sure about them and want to keep your options open, it’s much easier to use Covid surges or an infection as an excuse to “disappear.” While ghosting has been around for a while, the pandemic poses a new problem in terms of excuses people will make to avoid confrontation and being honest when it comes to dating.

Quinn does offer some advice for people who feel they are being iced out. "…if someone can't make time to at least have regular Zoom dates with you, read the writing on the wall, and ice out yourself!" she told The Mirror.

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