It’s 2016, and most of us lead pretty busy lives. We are constantly on our phones, making to-do lists, pursuing career ambitions, and taking care of family members to the point where sometimes it feels like there’s no free time, especially for dating. Dating can sometimes feel like a chore, or worse – a waste of time when you aren’t meeting anyone who clicks.

But before you give up on dating and proclaim yourself too busy, try taking a different approach.

Think about the process from your potential date’s perspective. Do you seem hard to pin down to schedule a date? Are you squeezing your dates in to 20-minute coffee shop dates to avoid wasting time? Are you only half-paying attention when you are on a date?

If so, you might be sending out a signal to potential mates that you’re just not that interested, and even more to the point - not that available.

If there’s one thing every online dater can agree on, it’s this: they all want more matches. More matches mean more dates, more dates mean more chances of meeting someone special, and more special someones means eventually finding the someone who takes you off the market for good.

As an online dater, you have an effect on how many matches you get. You boost your odds by choosing the right photos, writing an attractive profile, and crafting intriguing messages. But as carefully as you try to present yourself well, you know it’s not entirely in your hands. Working hard in the background of every dating site or app is an algorithm that also has a say in how many matches you receive.

Online dating can feel overwhelming, especially if you haven’t done it in a while. But do you find yourself a little curious, ready to put yourself out there again? Or does the thought of online dating make you want to hide in your house and binge watch Netflix indefinitely?

I understand the temptation to retreat, but the truth is, we are human beings, and therefore we crave connection. We especially crave intimate relationships, whether we want to admit it or not.

There’s nothing wrong with pursuing your independent lifestyle, but if you think you might be ready to give dating a try again, here are five tips to feel ready to date again:

As online dating continues to spread around the world, scholars and scientists continue to investigate the practice. What makes an online dater successful? What makes the perfect profile? Is the perfect profile even achievable? What traits make singles more likely to find love online?

These are the questions asked by a new study published in the National Communication Association's journal Communication Monographs. The study looked at how specific types of content in online dating profiles affected viewers’ impressions and actions, and found that humility is key to online dating success.

“Online daters construct their profiles to attract potential partners and viewers’ assessments are based on the content of dating profiles,” explains the study. “However, little is known about the mechanisms or nature of the associations that connect variations in profile content to outcomes.”

Popular dating app Tinder crashed on Thursday night, ahead of a long holiday weekend in the United States.

The International Business Times reported that Tinder had crashed around 10:00pm Eastern time, and users were having problems retrieving their messages, contacting their matches and even logging in. Some users reported losing their matches as well. Users on the Dating Sites Reviews Forum also had issues with Tinder

Angry Tinder users voiced their frustration over social media, making jokes about Tinder failing just when they got some matches, were trying to contact their dates to meet, or downloaded the latest version of the app.

One user joked:

“Tinder crashes before it opens which also describes my love life ‪#tinder”

Picture a David Attenborough documentary. He's explaining the mating call of a South American tree frog, or the mating dance of a rare bird. Researchers have sunk hours of study into the mating rituals of Earth's various winged, scaled, and furry creatues.

And humans? We may not have the wings, scales, and fur, or the charming British narrator, but scientists are just as dedicated to discovering the secrets of our own mating habits. Thousands of subjects in hundreds of studies have made calculated dating movies – some right, some wrong – so that you can learn from their actions.

While every study has its limitations, we can use research to shed light on what does and doesn't work, hopefully upping our chances of success in the process. Tech Insider compiled 7 dating tips science says singles should follow if they're serious about finding love, including: