Dating is all about instant connections- scroll, like, and match! But in a world where everything moves at a breakneck speed, a new trend is emerging among the new generation of daters- Mindful Dating. The latest surveys by India's homegrown dating app, QuackQuack, show more than 39% of dating app users between the ages of 18 and 25 believe that slow-paced and mindful dating is the only approach to finding lasting connections. The app ran an online survey among 8000 users from both metros and suburban and rural towns and cities- the study aimed to explore the dating behavior of GenZ daters, specifically focusing on the concept of Mindful Dating. The survey participants were primarily students and professionals working in the fields of medicine and healthcare, IT, sales and marketing, digital content creation, and more.
QuackQuack's Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "GenZ's mindful dating trend is not new, but it has finally taken up speed and gained traction even among their predecessors. It is refreshing to see the young generation breaking out of old toxic habits and influencing Millennials to do the same. As a dating app catering to more than 3 crore users, we have always felt obliged to urge not just our users but every dater to take things slow and focus on the quality over quantity approach in matters of hearts."
Mindful Scrolling
Users from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities explained that mindful dating starts with mindful scrolling. While finding the perfect match is every dater's end goal, not losing touch with reality should be placed at the top of the list of priorities during the entire process- start to end. When every other person complains about the doom-scrolling epidemic taking over this generation, GenZ daters are making conscious efforts to scroll and engage with intent. 33% of these cautious QuackQuack users revealed that it plainly means spending more time on profiles that truly interest them and genuinely measuring the compatibility of a potential match with their values and preferences. 3 out of 5 men and women in the app mentioned spending more on one profile before making a match instead of scrolling past several. Rohini (24) said, "It truly leads to better matches. It's more researched and thought out, and leaves less room for error in judgment. Plus, it's far less overwhelming to focus on one potential match instead of drowning in a sea of matches."
Intentional Matching
Unlike the traditional method of first accumulating as many good matches as possible and then assessing each of them to find the best fit, the GenZ-approved Mindful Dating trend takes a different direction. Intentional matching prioritizes quality over quantity, said 28% of women between 20 and 25. They disclosed the process is based on being extensively selective about who they match with and how much effort they put into knowing them. These women also revealed an interesting fact about Intentional matching practice- if a match does not align with their values and long-term goals, they prefer not to spend too much time trying to "fix" and "fit" them into their boxes. Radhika from Nagpur explained, "Our generation really doesn't believe in molding someone into the person we want them to be. So, we try our best to find the right fit from the beginning. Intentional matching helps with that."
Active Interactions
21% of men from metros and smaller cities seemed to believe in the importance of active interactions with the intention to truly know a person. For these GenZ men, it means going beyond the surface level. Krish, a 25-year-old IT professional, said, "Asking 'What's your favorite color, favorite movie, food, etc' is an important part of getting to know each other, but so is discussing difficult topics like political outlook, religious beliefs, and other core ideologies which actually can make or break a relationship. It is important to hit these spots during the initial phases."
