It's hot! Amid heatwave, more Indians are opting for virtual dates during summer

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It is that time of the year when the heat is affecting everybody and everything including love. As India battles rising temperatures this summer, singles in India are changing the way they date.

A recent survey by Indian dating app, QuackQuack, has found a steep rise in virtual dates among the online dating crowd, with more than 37 per cent of singles from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities opting for digital dates and online interactions with shared activities over meeting in person. The study demonstrates how modern dating can quickly adapt to any situation, even in climate change-related crises.

The survey was conducted among 8,967 daters aged 20 to 35 from metros and Tier 2 and 3 cities. Participants came from various professional fields, including IT, marketing, finance, healthcare, education, administration, entrepreneurship, students, and those between jobs. The app's Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "Dating behavior really is seeing a massive shift this summer, in ways we did not anticipate. There's a rise in late-night traffic on the app, and people have paused chasing high-effort connections. Mostly, we are seeing a lot of singles interacting with matches who naturally fit into their daily lives and don't require extra attention and effort to make time and space. Moreover, virtual dates are no longer just a safety precaution or compromise; it's a real thing now."

Cool Hour Romance

The app's data shows a steady spike in traffic after 11 pm, with daters between 22 and 28 interacting with their matches more between 11 pm and 1 am than at any other time of the day. More than 41% of users from tier 1 and 2 cities with a 9-5 job shared that the extreme heat and hectic lifestyle combo is becoming a barrier in their dating lives, especially during the daytime. With energy drained, these daters explained that they usually don't get the urge to interact with people they genuinely like during the daytime. The survey reveals that the peak in traffic at the "cool hour," as daters term it, is because most of them prefer to use dating apps from the comfort of their homes, after work hours, and definitely after a long rest. Divyanshu from Delhi, an IT professional, joked, "If I don't come home, freshen up, feed myself something, and rest a bit, I am way too cranky to chat with anyone. Heat really brings out the worst in me; I might go off on my match. The 11 to 12 timing feels perfect to me. Not too late, and importantly, not too hot."

Emotional comfort over performative dating

The study highlighted that 8 in 10 people have moved from connections with high-effort expectations to comfortable interactions. During the summers, singles from metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad are opting for comfortable interactions that seamlessly fit into their regular schedule. Over 39% of respondents confirmed that the summer fatigue has made "easy companionship" more appealing. Kaveri, a 31-year-old marketing specialist from Hyderabad, said, "If my match expects me to dress up and meet him out in this heat, I will definitely fall short of his expectations and that's not fair to either him or me. So, I am intentionally opting for people who fit my routine. For example, I recently matched with someone whose office is right next to mine. So now we can go for a quick meet any time without having to expose ourselves unnecessarily in this heat."

Nostalgia farming

The survey data show a new trend, "nostalgia farming," with a rise in nostalgia-led conversations among matches during the summer months. 41% of women and 34% of men between 22 and 32 disclosed that they got really close to their match, whom they had been chatting with for weeks, when they started bonding over shared childhood memories of summer times. There's a sudden popularity in topics like summer vacations, visiting grandparents, mangoes, power cuts, and school homework. Singles from metros and suburbs alike explained that these conversations are more than just chats; they are emotionally grounding and help them understand each other's childhood and upbringing without having to ask direct questions.