Here’s Why ‘Dating Sunday’ Is the Biggest Day of the Year for Finding Dates Online
Today’s the day, so get swiping.
Attention all online daters! Be sure to spend some time on Tinder or Bumble this Sunday, January 7th, because it’s the busiest day of the entire year for online dating, which means you have a solid chance of landing a hottie.
For some reason, people suddenly get an incredible urge to swipe through potential love interests on the first Sunday of January — so much so that the day has been nicknamed “Dating Sunday.”
Apparently, Match.com is expecting a 42 percent increase in signups this Sunday, based on data that revealed a whopping 2.75 million messages were exchanged on the site the first Sunday of 2017, and they’re predicting that the site will be at its busiest at exactly 8:55 p.m. Keep that in mind — 8:55 p.m. sharp.
And according to ABC News, over 44 million Tinder matches were made on Dating Sunday last year, compared to around 26 million on an average day, and interestingly, Tinder reports that roughly 10 percent of all swipes in January happen on the first Sunday alone.
Match says that Dating Sunday is the climax of “peak season” for online dating, which runs December 26th through February 14th. The reason for these very specific dates is probably due to familial pressure to have a significant other during Christmas, not wanting to be alone on Valentine’s Day, and then not caring about dating very much thereafter.
“People have resolved to be more adventurous and try something new, so we’ve noticed that more and more people sign on to Tinder during the first Sunday of the month,” says Rosette Pambakian, Tinder’s vice president of brand marketing and communications. “Sunday is traditionally the busiest day of the week for Tinder use, and the ‘try something new’ mindset [with the new year] really amplifies this.”
But what’s the real reason for the sudden 1-day online dating mania? Match’s resident dating expert, Bela Gandhi, says: “The census says there are 107 million single adults in this country. That’s almost 43 percent of the population–almost half. And along with that comes ‘New Year, new you’ resolutions. Falling in love is consistently at the top of the list for single people.”
And on why the day falls on a Sunday, she explains: “If you think about it, it makes sense, right? If we’re single, Friday night, we’re out. Maybe Saturday, we’re working out or brunching. Saturday night we’re out again—maybe on a date. And then Sunday, the same thing.
“By Sunday evening, which is typically when numbers are highest, the hangovers are down and people are like, ‘OK, I’ve got a little bit of downtime.’ There’s not as much to distract us, so people start getting back online and looking at their sites and apps.”
Makes total sense if you ask me!
And if you want to make sure you’re successful this Sunday, listen to me very, very carefully, because I’m about to give you the ultimate secret for online dating:
Do: Drink PBR, talk about how you eat pretentious superfoods like goji berries, and dress like your name is Chad and you’re from Martha’s Vineyard. Women are apparently super into that.
Don’t: Watch anime, wear cargo shorts, or play Pokemon Go.
Seriously — this information is from a super important survey that found women are turned on by PBR-drinking preppy bros who shun anime and cargo shorts. You can get the full details on that here.