At 20, it’s not uncommon to spend weeks exchanging messages before daring to propose a date. After 50 years, the trend is completely different. Singles seem to want to get to the point: getting to know each other, yes, but without staying behind a screen indefinitely. And this summer they are determined to see each other quickly… on the terrace!
A study carried out for DisonsDemain, a dating application dedicated to over-50s, shows that 91% of users want to meet the person they are chatting with within the first two weeks. Even more, 35% would prefer to organize this meeting from the first days. More reckless than the young?
After 50, the real breakthrough happens face to face
If applications allow you to get to know each other, they do not replace real meeting. The study shows that 42% of respondents consider the first date to be the most significant moment in the start of a relationship. For comparison, only 10% believe that the first message exchanged is the most important moment.
In other words, virtual exchanges are mainly used to verify that a meeting is worth trying. The real crush comes once the phones are put away.
A conversation that makes you want to go further
Before this first meeting, the quality of the exchanges nevertheless remains essential.
Nearly 4 in 10 singles (39%) say that genuine interest in another person is the starting point for a promising relationship. And 31% particularly appreciate conversations in which everyone asks questions and really seeks to discover the person they are talking to.
Conversely, discussions that quickly go in circles tend to be discouraging. For 32% of those questioned, a conversation that is running out of steam is even the main obstacle to a budding story.
A coffee rather than a long exchange of messages
When the time comes to meet, people in their fifties are not necessarily looking for a spectacular date. They favor simple moments, which allow them to chat without pressure.
Coffee or a drink on a terrace comes out on top (28%), followed by a walk (25%) then a weekend or a getaway to discover a place together (22%).
So many activities that take on their full meaning during summer, a season conducive to walks, evenings on the terrace and impromptu outings. This is often where relationships are formed.
Common passions, but also independence
Although the first meeting is decisive, it is not enough to build a lasting relationship.
For 73% of singles surveyed, sharing interests is essential or very important. Travel, hiking, cooking, gardening or culture become all topics that fuel the first conversations… but especially the moments spent together.
Another lesson from this study: after 50, single people are not necessarily looking to merge. For 36% of respondents, a successful relationship is based above all on a balance between shared moments and respect for each person’s independence.
Less time to seduce, more time to live
These results illustrate an evolution in romantic expectations after the age of 50. Dating apps remain a tool for creating first contact, but they are no longer an end in themselves.
At an age where we know our desires and priorities better, many now prefer to move quickly from virtual to real. Because to know if a relationship can work, nothing replaces a look, a face-to-face conversation… or a shared coffee on the terrace.