12 October,2026 02:14 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: File pic
Festivities bring people together, and according to an interesting survey by an Indian dating app, it also brings out an extraordinary sense of FOMO among people whose relationship status still reads 'Single'.
However, the study, conducted by QuackQuack, shows that the same festive FOMO is producing an unexpected dating response: instead of rushing into a connection, as one would expect, almost 49 per cent of dating singles revealed that they are intentionally delaying it.
The app's founder and CEO Ravi Mittal, added, "Every year we see a spike in activity around this time, along with a rise in matches. But this year, the trend is looking different. While there's more traffic and more chats, the match rate has stayed the same, backing the claims of survey respondents who said that young daters are intentionally delaying matches and being extra cautious about not falling into the FOMO trap."
The study was conducted among 12,000 Indian dating singles between 22 and 35 years of age. Participants were equally divided between metro and suburban regions for a comprehensive understanding of the trend. Singles taking the survey belonged to various professional fields, with a small section of students.
A particularly tricky dating illusion most singles face around the festive season is temporary loneliness, when everyone around them is coupled up, can masquerade as romantic compatibility with someone who, under normal circumstances, would never have been given a chance. This was claimed by more than 43 per cent of women and 36 per cent of men from Tier 1 and 2 cities. But the interesting finding of the survey shows that daters are successfully recognizing the pattern and drawing a line. Arun, 31, from Kolkata said, "I chatted with someone a few months back and we did not click. Suddenly, when all my friends are making plans for this month, all the pandal hopping and everything with their GFs, I am feeling super single, and this same person started looking promising. I am assuming it's the FOMO and am definitely not going to commit right away. Let the season die down; we'll see how we feel then."
Another point highlighted by 4,372 respondents was how the Festive FOMO does not just send you running to new people; sometimes, it can send you back to an ex you broke up with for valid reasons. Festivities come with a wave of nostalgia; 8 out of 10 singles between 23 and 30 years of age, said a familiar tradition, or memories associated with some festival, can suddenly trigger your brain to believe the relationship was rosier than it was. The survey found that 17 per cent of Indian dating singles admitted matching with their exes on the app; among them, 6 per cent actually reconnected. However, the rest of the daters assured it was a dangerous crossover; craving the familiarity of an old relationship during the festive season can easily be mistaken for wanting the person they left for a reason back into their lives.
A very contemporary finding shows that over 45 per cent of Indian dating singles between 27 and 35 years of age, men and women alike, are intentionally delaying commitment to a match or even matching with a compatible person to avoid falling into the FOMO connection, as they termed it. About 27 per cent of Indian dating singles also mentioned that a connection right around festivities can turn into a public spectacle before it has found its footing. These singles are also being cautiously slow to protect a potential connection from getting overwhelmed.
