13 July,2026 04:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: File pic
Perfecting a dating profile with witty bios, the best pictures, and putting your best foot forward - that's what daters have relied on to find a compatible match.
Gen Z has taken this a step further and cracked the code; according to a recent survey by QuackQuack, Indian singles between 22 and 27 years of age believe a person's "relationship resume" carries more weight than their perfectly curated dating profile when choosing the right match.
Survey participants explained that, unlike the traditional expectation of couples revealing the number of past relationships, a relationship resume focuses less on counting exes and more on understanding the lessons learnt and the emotional patterns of the person within a relationship. Over 55 per cent of Gen-Z daters revealed that they care more about how their match handled their past relationship than the number of relationships they have had. Today's young daters see romantic history not as baggage but as lived experience.
The app's founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, added, "We rarely see matches discussing the number of exes they have had or judging each other based on that. But we do see awareness around emotional patterns during each other's previous relationships; they understand that match's romantic history speaks about emotional maturity, communication style, conflict management skills, and it can also reveal hidden personality issues."
The dating surveyed 9,847 Gen Z users from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi, Calicut, Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore, and more Tier-3 cities. The survey was conducted from April to June in 2026 through voluntary responses.
One of the study's strongest findings is the "conflict transcript" trend. Around 41 per cent of daters over 25 years of age said they are interested in learning how their match handled arguments in their past relationship. They revealed that instead of directly asking, "Why did your relationship end?" they enquire who handled difficult conversations better, who was more confrontational, who was the first to apologize, and what usually happened after arguments. Anwesha, a 26-year-old software engineer from Pune, explained, "When I ask these questions to my match, I look out for two things: One, are they putting all the blame on their ex and saying they put in all the effort? And two, are they avoiding the topic of their past relationship entirely? For me, these are the two red flags I am cautious about."
The survey says that 8 out of 10 participants from Tier 1 and 2 cities admitted that they closely observe if their match speaks about their past relationships with emotional balance. Over 44 per cent of women and 39 per cent of men shared that they become cautious if someone labels their ex as "crazy" or "the toxic one." It shows that the person is not ready to take any accountability and does not have emotional maturity needed for introspection and accepting their own flaws.
Nearly 51 per cent of the respondents also mentioned that "closure" is now a part of their evaluation process. They pay attention to whether a person has emotionally processed their breakup, or if they are trying to jump into a new relationship to substitute for one that got away.
Another fascinating finding shows that young daters are interested in the evidence of post-breakup behavioural upgrades in their matches. 36 per cent of daters between 23 and 27 years of age explained that hearing someone share how they have changed since their last relationship, or how they have improved themselves after a breakup, understanding that they were the one falling short in the last relationship, makes them significantly more interested in that person. Whether it is learning better ways to communicate, maintaining healthy boundaries, or working on their insecurities, a behavioural upgrade is a desirable quality in a match, according to nearly 6 out of 10 dating app users.
