Is it better to meet someone in real life or is it better to go soulmate-searching online?
Of course, it’s nice to let love come naturally when you’re out in the world. You meet someone, you lock eyes, and the rest is history. But I would argue that there’s something extraordinary about looking for love online. It offers benefits that real-world dating doesn’t. Let’s go over a few.
A larger pool of possibilities
We spend most of our day working and sleeping. This leaves us with very limited time to go out and meet someone. And even when you can find the time, your options are limited to the people you have the opportunity to actually meet, i.e. friends of friends and whatnot. Let’s say you’ve already dated a few of the most suitable candidates near you and it hasn’t worked out — this leaves you feeling like you have no other options.
The great thing about online dating is that it widens your pool. You can set your preferred distance for how far you’d be willing to travel to meet up with someone. While these areas might not be too far from where you live, they might not be places you’d visit in person with the intent of running into someone who you could develop a relationship with.
Easier ‘outs’
Imagine you’re out at a bar. Someone approaches you and they seem nice enough so you start talking to them, but within a few minutes, you realize you’re not interested. It might be difficult to walk away from the conversation, especially if they are extremely chatty, so you might stay and continue talking because you don’t know what else to do.
When you’re chatting with someone you met online and notice any red flags, you can stop the conversation at any moment without feeling any pressure. It’s even possible to block the person on the dating app or from your contacts if the conversation takes a turn for the worse.
Increased transparency
There is something to be said about the mystery of dating someone you’ve met in person. You likely know nothing but their name, age, and where they live when you first meet them, so you set up dates so you can both get to know each other better. However, after the second or third date, you might hear or uncover things you don’t like. Think of all the time you’ve wasted entertaining that person as a potential love interest.
When you’re swiping through a dating app, a person’s profile will tell you more about them than anything you’d find out after the first time meeting them in person. You’ll already know their name, age, location, profession, and can read their ‘about me’ section before you even match. And as you talk with them, you’ll be able to ask them questions about themselves before meeting up for a date. If you’re already not interested, there’s no pressure to meet them out and you will save a few hours of your previous time.
You can also take the information you uncover from a conversation with someone and look them up to make sure they are who they say they are. On MyLife, we have 320 million verified Reputation Profiles that include Reputation Scores, and any criminal and civil court records, even reviews written by people who know them that could help you decide whether or not you feel comfortable pursuing a relationship with someone you met online. It’s not just a matter of compatibility, but also one of safety. In a recent study by FTI Consulting, 3 in 10 respondents said they have been hurt by someone using a fake profile online. Looking someone up on MyLife is easy, you might actually be surprised what is in your Reputation Profile.
Online dating opens up a new world of possibilities. If you’ve never tried it, now is the perfect time to sign up for a dating app and put yourself out there.
