Where to Meet Potential Romantic Partners in Real Life

These are the places that show people at their best.

• The Science of Mating
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Key points

• Research shows up to 50 percent of couples meet in real-life locations, not online.
• Some locations are better for finding long-term love, while others are better for short-term flings.
• Committed partners are more often found in places like conferences or religious sites, or while volunteering.
• Flings and hookups are more likely found at places like clubs, bars, or parties.

Sometimes, the hardest part of dating is finding attractive and compatible partners in the first place. For convenience and variety, many people try to solve that problem through online dating or dating apps. Nevertheless, online and app daters can sometimes be overwhelmed by the sheer number of superficial partners who don’t “click” on a deeper level-or get frustrated by potential partners who don’t click on them at all. Furthermore, when people think that these modern approaches are the only successful dating options, they may give up trying to find a romantic partner altogether.

Fortunately, the low-tech method of meeting people in real life is very effective. In fact, as Rosenfeld and Thomas (2012) note, about 50 percent of heterosexual couples and 20 percent of same-sex couples meet in person at a physical location. They go on to state, however, that some physical locations are better for meeting long-term or short-term partners. Given that, by knowing the best places to meet potential partners for your specific short-term or long-term dating orientation, you can easily work them into your daily or weekly routine! Read more “Where to Meet Potential Romantic Partners in Real Life” →