The dating world is brimming with buzzwords and trends that change every week, but one in particular is ringing alarm bells with experts.
It's no secret that single life can be treacherous, especially thanks to the wild west of dating apps and social media. From ghosting to orbiting, it's a complete minefield.
And now we've got "carouselling" to contend with - a trend that professionals say is fuelling an 'anxiety epidemic'. The term describes the phenomenon where singletons find themselves in the never-ending cycle of messaging, which heightens first-date nerves when finally meeting face-to-face. Research has found that 77% of daters feel more anxious the longer the conversations drag out before meeting up for the first time, as they feel stuck in a loop.
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While it may be tempting to text the person that has piqued your interest, wanting to know everything about them before hanging out, it could be doing you harm in the long run. Dating experts at , a new dating app that focuses on real-life meets, warned that endless messaging is leading to this anxiety epidemic and fuelling the 'carouselling' nightmare.
This growing wave of anxiety is sweeping the dating , and the longer people spend sending messages, the more their worries can increase. Sylvia Linzalone, the app's dating expert, says that prolonged messaging has created an anxiety "trap" that's making dating harder. "The longer they stay on the messaging carousel, the more daunting the idea of the meeting becomes, and it's fueling unnecessary anxiety."
Finding The One conducted a study and found that 83% out fo 1,500 said they'd prefer to meet in person within a week of matching, but often "feel pressured to continue messaging". Meanwhile it found many are hesitant to suggest meeting up too quickly as they're worried they'll seem 'too eager' or 'pushy'.
However this reluctance is what leads to carouselling. The prolonged conversations build up stress and unreal expectations which can then make meeting up in person feel like an 'ordeal' as explained by the experts.
Linzalone emphasises the importance of this approach. "Meeting sooner means less pressure and less anxiety. It lets you see if there's a real connection in the real world, where it actually matters," and Finding The One focuses on making in person connections sooner and encourages people to meet rather than fall into the trap of messaging.
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