Author: Pamela Lugten

Global Love Report – June 30, 2021
A review article by Pamela Stephanie

The pandemic has caused a surge in new users for dating apps such as Bumble, Tinder, and Hinge. However, despite this increase in users and revenue, the dating app algorithms leave much to be desired.

In fact, apps such as Tinder and Grindr are in the top 10 list of apps that have the most unhappy users. Whereas on the list of apps with the most happy users, these dating apps are all missing from the top 10.

The reason for this may be that the dating app algorithms that match users are quite bad. A study done by a University in the UK saw that match rates for women are just a little over 10%. Whereas for men, it drops to 0.6%.

Machines are very limited to the information given, of course. According to Samantha Joel of Western University, machines can’t predict attraction. People may be attracted to an aspect they find embarrassing or even to something they’re not even aware of.

Of course, the qualities that people are looking for that they use to filter for their matches aren’t exactly qualities that can determine if they’ll have chemistry with someone.

According to Joel one of the main issues may be too many options available on dating sites. Too many possibilities make it difficult for people to choose and the process is very frustrating. And users filter using criteria that they don’t usually care about just to look through less profiles.

Doing so, however, can cause potential matches to be filtered out so the chance for a match remains low.

To read the full article, click here.

Original article written by Wired.

(Image source: Pexels, Freestocks Org)

Global Love Report – June 30, 2021
A review article by Pamela Stephanie

Dating agencies are unaware of the COVID crisis. Since the beginning of the pandemic, various health restrictions, lockdowns, and curfews have shut down a number of businesses and places of leisure.

However, matchmaking agencies remain popular.

Business has tripled

Enrollment has tripled, confirmed the director of Unicis, Aurélie Sorlin. Though he did mention that their phone has not stopped ringing since the first lockdown.

Sorlin’s agency has a 69% success rate for its members, whose ages are between 25 and 70 years old.

Dating Sites Disappointment

There are cases where people who are disappointed with dating sites turned to matchmaking agencies. This is the case for Nicolas*, a 42-year-old economist engineer working in the energy sector.

He had no luck meeting his other half on a dating site after the end of a long-term relationship. The lockdown pushed him to find someone, stating that working from home all day made him feel lonely. Especially after hearing colleagues who mentioned it was difficult to work at home with their wife and kids.

Loneliness is like an illness

However, Guillaume Salinas, director of Alliance Conseil agency, stated that it’s not just the pandemic that’s causing the increase in clients. If anything, the pandemic has accelerated things—Salinas mentioned that in the last three years the number of clients they’ve had has tripled.

Loneliness is like an illness, it affects everyone, stated Salinas. He mentioned that one of their clients is a 28-year-old woman who stated she had no issue finding someone for a casual but she’s really looking for someone to start a family with.

Gérald* is a 53-year-old male, divorced with two grown children, working as a research and development manager for a sports brand. He decided to register with an agency because he wanted to find something authentic and didn’t want to spend his time looking through profiles on dating sites.

Matchmaker Esther Keller is seeing more and more male clients looking for matches. They’re searching for a partner to start a family with. According to Keller, a combination of the pandemic, lockdowns, social restrictions and loneliness is causing the current trend.

Another matchmaker, Valérie Périnel, mentioned that her agency is seeing a 40% increase. For her clients, the pandemic and lockdowns has caused them to rethink their priorities. They wish to invest their time in a serious relationship.

She’s also seeing more men over 50’s who have until then focused on their career, start to look for a match after spending the lockdowns as a single person.

To read the full article (in French), please click here.

Original article written by BFM TV.

(Image source: Pexels, Andrew Neel)

Global Love Report – June 30, 2021
A review article by Pamela Stephanie

Korean matchmaking agency, Duo, stated that there’s a shift in young people’s mindset when it comes to dating. Specifically, who should pay for dates.

A survey by Duo showed that more than half of the people surveyed believe that the person with the higher wage should pay during dates. The onus no longer falls on the man.

35.4% of respondents believe in splitting the bill in half and just a little over 10% think the man should pay.

This is in contract with a similar survey conducted by the company in 2014 which saw almost half of the respondents think the man should pay.

For the full article, please click here.

Original article written by The Korea Times.

(Image source: Pexels, Karolina Grabowska)

Global Love Report – June 23, 2021
A review article by Pamela Stephanie

Golek Garwo is an annual matchmaking event held in Indonesia. Indonesian Ta’aruf Forum organized the event with the help of the Sewon District Office of Bantul Regency, in the Yogyakarta region.

However, this year, the event moved online and they implemented strict Covid-19 health protocols. The organizers also limited the number of participants for the physical event to only 30. Furthermore, it is only open for Yogyakarta region residents.

Participants from out of town are usually able to take part. However, this year they were only able to do so by mail or social media.

The event’s aim is to help bolster singles during the pandemic as they struggle to find a soulmate. Another aim is to boost the economy and to promote vaccinations.

The organizers revealed that 1020 singles had registered for the event.

Of that number, are residents of the Yogyakarta region, those who reside in other parts of Indonesia, and some even people living in foreign countries. But all of them want to look for a life partner and are serious in starting a family.

For those who find a life partner and are unable to afford a wedding, the organizers help them with their free joint wedding program. The organizers help them pay for wedding fees, dowry, wedding rings, make up, clothes, documentation, as well as a hotel honeymoon.

To read the full article about this annual matchmaking event (in Bahasa Indonesia), click here.

Original article written by Tribun News.

(Image source: Pexels, Danu Hidayatur Rahman)

Global Love Report – June 23, 2021
A translated article by Pamela Stephanie

Older people who have been vaccinated against corona can finally go out again after a year of lockdowns. On this sunny afternoon, ten men and eight women in Achterhoek immediately get serious: they’re going to speed date.

He’s a bit early. In a crisp white polo (“I put this in the wash yesterday”), Arie Vels is waiting at a table of an establishment in the outskirts of Borculo. On this sunny afternoon, the 72-year-old from Doetinchem, after a year of restrictions and lockdowns, is going speed dating for the first time in his life.

Pretty exciting, you would think, but Vels stays calm. He has already dated one-on-one, via the internet, says Vels, who has been a widower for five and a half years. “But that was all nothing,” he says in the Achterhoek. A few years ago, he was rejected by someone who was looking for a hiking buddy[1]. “Back then I had a limp.” But that is no longer a problem, says Vels. “I had surgery so now I can walk without problems again.”

Dark red tablecloths

Under a few trees, where a slope runs in the grass, Getty Schepers from the Dating Oost agency, which specializes in matchmaking for seniors, prepares the final touches for the speed dating session. Now that most seniors have received their corona vaccinations, she can organize events worry-free for the first time in a year. Ten neatly laid tables are ready, the dark red tablecloths move gently in the wind.

Vels looks at the pastoral setting with satisfaction. Last year, there was not much dating due to corona, he says. “Well, where could you even meet? To invite someone to the couch right away, that’s a bit too much. This is neutral territory. And now I also don’t have to serve coffee myself.”

Grumpy

He is looking for a cheerful type, but that is not so easy to find among older women, says Vels. Well, he has to admit that this is also valid for older men. “That’s why. I’m already grumpy myself.”

When all participants have arrived, Gerry Schepers rings a fire-red hand bell with the words “love time” on it. The first round starts. From now on, all the men and women have ten minutes to get to know each other. Here and there, a somewhat stiff elbow greeting is exchanged.

“It makes my skin crawl”

One of the couples immediately leans back, relaxed, in the chairs. He, the 73-year-old Tom de Rijke from Doetinchem, is drinking a white beer, she, the 74-year-old Anke Wagemaker from Zutphen, in a witty way steers the conversation within a minute to sensitive topics like religion and politics. “”You have to know that some people evoke strong feelings in me,” she says, as if she’s unfolding an important part of her user manual. “Mark Rutte, for example: that makes my skin crawl.”

He makes a sour face, and says, “Too bad.” Wagemaker looks at him, unfazed. “Yeah,” she says. But then De Rijke begins to laugh—just kidding, he says. “I feel the same way.” They sound equally happy in their unanimity.

Playful shoulders

A few meters away, Arie Vels came to the table with Anka Smit (75) from Winterswijk. With them, it’s over safe themes such as each other’s children, a common acquaintance, and the question of where a certain mill is located on the Ijssel River. Smit occasionally moves her shoulders playfully while she’s speaking. And while Vels first sat with his arms folded, he begins to lean a little more forward as the conversation progressed.

After ten minutes has lapsed, Smit says that, especially after this corona year, she would like to be with someone again. “Then we can go out and travel together. Or [go on] a long bike ride, that’s up high on my list, but you don’t just do something like that alone as a woman.” She found this afternoon very successful, she says. “Finally, I could have a day out again.”

Follow-up Appointment

And the conversation with Vels? “It was very pleasant,” she laughs. Whether the two have a match will be clear in a week, when Dating Oost has processed all the data. Vels has just handed in the form on which he has filled which of the ten women he wants to have a follow-up appointment with.

Compared to earlier in the afternoon, his mustache seems to hang down a little less, and he now laughs with happy wrinkles around his eyes. Still, his grumpiness has not completely disappeared after all that female company. “There was only one pleasant one,” he says, half-grumbling.

[1] Wandelmaatjes or hiking buddies are quite common in the Netherlands and Belgium. It’s someone who can go with you on hikes or any type of outdoor activity. For older people, it can also be someone who can help them if they have mobility issues.

To read the original article (in Dutch) about speed dating for the elderly, please click here.

Original article written by Trouw.

(Image source: Pexels, Cottonbro)

Global Love Report – June 23, 2021
A review article by Pamela Stephanie

Some couples who started a relationship during the pandemic or at the beginning of it have now broken up.

These “pandemic relationships” tended to be temporary from the start, though only for one of the two people involved. However, therapists have said that wanting to have someone for a short while isn’t out of the ordinary, especially with how isolated some people were feeling. The relationship became a lifeline for some, according to clinical psychologist, Dr. Carla Marie Manly.

With how the pandemic unfolded, a number of people made quick decisions regarding their relationships. In some cases, even though a relationship was still new, the couple turned serious quickly—some even moved in together.

After all, being with someone means you have company and support in a year of fear and uncertainty.

However, now that people are being vaccinated, it’s time for these couples to date in the “normal” world.

For those who knew the relationship was temporary to begin with, they’ve already separated.

According to certified matchmaker Tammy Shaklee, clients of hers who have ended their pandemic relationships have done so relatively quietly. She stated that despite its brevity, there is a special quality to the relationship. This is because of the experience they shared as they went through the pandemic.

For those maintaining their pandemic relationship, Shaklee advised that they find something they haven’t done to keep the relationship from being boring. That thing can be as simple as having the couple sleep together in a different bed.

To read the full article, please click here.

Original article written by Salon.

(Image source: Pexels, Katerina Holmes)

Global Love Report – June 16, 2021
A review article by Pamela Stephanie

A recent survey showed that 78% of Malaysians would feel safe with a vaccinated date. Lunch Actually conducted the survey; asking 500 respondents in Malaysia about their dating life. 75% of those surveyed would also rather be with someone who has the same views as they do with regards to the vaccine.

However, despite being more at ease with someone who is vaccinated, 61% of respondents said they would still date someone who has not been vaccinated. This is because some people may not be able to get vaccinated because of health reasons.

According to Lunch Actually CEO and Co-founder Violet Lim, singles don’t want to dismiss someone straight away because of their vaccination status. They don’t want this to stop them from getting a match.

For more information on how the people surveyed feel about a vaccinated date, please click here.

Original article written by Mashable.

(Image source: Unsplash, Mick Haupt)