12 October,2026 11:57 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: File pic
The festive season is supposed to be the celebratory month of homecoming and get-togethers. But for many previously married singles, it also becomes a month of comparisons and surprisingly intense, uncomfortable self-questioning.
In a recent survey by Indian matchmaking app, Rebounce, over 10,000 participants shared how festivals can turn private emotions into a public spectacle. The pressure grows higher and more complicated for people who have experienced marriage and the loss of it, not only from society but also from themselves. They are not just looking for someone; they are also deciding whether they want to keep a door open for love. Around 48 per cent of respondents said they start doubting whether they are actually ready for love or simply want it because others have it too.
The app surveyed 10,385 previously married singles between 28 and 45 years of age, from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities. The study highlights three uncomfortable truths about second chances and festivities.
The app's founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "We see a three-step realisation process among users during the festive seasons. First, they start asking themselves the hard truth about really wanting love or wanting to feel caught up with others. Second, they realise that just finding 'someone' won't work for them because of their lived experiences and emotional clarity. Third and the final step is acknowledging that the most important thing is to figure out how they would feel about a connection once the festive competitiveness wears off."
The survey shows that there is a particular type of loneliness that creeps in not when there is no one around, but when you are surrounded by loved ones, with their loved ones. For almost 32 per cent of divorced and widowed individuals between 30 and 40 years, it triggers a sense of unexpected comparison: it makes their single status more pronounced than ever. The survey shows that 6 in 10 respondents said that the festive season makes them feel extra "divorced" or extra "widowed", and in general, it comes as evidence that their lives have stalled while everyone else is moving ahead. But the problem isn't only with this feeling; it lies primarily in the urgency that this feeling brings with it is the urgency that neither existed before nor is necessary in the present.
For first-time singles who are dating, looking for a perfect partner to settle down with, there are a lot of societal expectations in play. But for the second-chance seekers, there is clarity, lived experience, and their own expectations involved; they know what they want, and they know exactly what signs to never ignore again. Around 36 per cent of women and 29 per cent of men from Tier 1 and 2 cities explained that their past experience stops them from connecting with just 'anyone'. Even with the festive pressure, around 2,324 respondents clarified that they would rather push through the "October loneliness" than lower their very meticulous and deliberately built standards. Arundhati, a 35-year-old lawyer from Delhi, said, "The desire for a partner is much stronger when I see all my peers around me with their own, being so loved. But that does not mean I can just suddenly forget all the filters I have in place since my divorce; they are there for a reason."
"Festivities end and so does the pressure. My real question is, will I still want to work it out with my match as intensely as I am right now?" asks 34-year-old Sameer. Interestingly, nearly 19 per cent of survey participants said that the festive competitiveness for love has made many of them realise they need more time to consider remarriage. While 27 per cent of users above 38 years of age said that their desire for companionship was only heightened by watching their peers in love, and that it was neither merely situational nor would it expire with the end of festivities.
