The evolution of romance: How has the dating world changed over time?

In 2018, you might be forgiven for thinking that romance is dead – with a myriad of dating apps, speed dating with Naturally Dating and social media meetups, the dating world can seem daunting for many of us. It’s possible, however, that different generations simply express their affection differently. A recent study by eHarmony found millennials to be the most romantic age group of all. To examine how each generation expresses love and affection, we’ve teamed up with engagement ring retailer Angelic Diamonds.

Romance by age group

Research has shown that different generations express their love in different ways:

* 90% of 18-24-year olds say that they hold hands when they’re out for a walk, 70% make sure that they go on date nights together, and 68% enjoy making romantic gestures such as writing love notes.

* 79 % of 25-34-year olds enjoy making romantic gestures — more than any other generation.

* 35-44-year olds are 15% less likely to go on date nights than younger millennials. Holding hands during walks was the most common romantic gesture among this age group.

* 45-54-year olds are less likely to buy their partner small gifts between birthdays and more likely to hold hands during a walk.

* Over 50% of over 65-year olds like to go on date nights and 40% like making romantic gestures. They were the least likely to buy gifts for partners outside of birthdays.

Everyone agreed that it was important to let their other half know how much they mean to them, with 68% of people across all age groups admitting that they say “I love you” daily and 65% kissing on the mouth for a second or two every day.

Defining romance

You might’ve heard your parents or grandparents talk about when they first got together — they went on a few cinema dates, perhaps attended a dance and went out for dinner before deciding that they were in relationship. There were no dating apps to help start up a conversation and no option to ‘ghost’ someone by not returning their texts — in fact, you might think that it was much more romantic back then. But, the older generation had their dating sites in the form of lonely hearts ads (the first one being published in 1695) and it’s likely that people still had the experience of being stood up. So, maybe it wasn’t that different after all.

Perhaps it’s the way that younger people define and recognise romance that makes them seem less affectionate than the generation before them.

When asked, all Britons agreed that the top five romantic gestures were: holding hands (46%), cuddling (44%), giving a surprise gift (43%), a romantic walk (32%) and giving flowers (31%). When different age groups were asked about their opinions on historically chivalrous acts, differences became clear. A huge 93% of over-45s believed there was still a place for them in the 21st century, whereas 37% of 18-24 year olds disagreed. In particular, ordering for someone at a restaurant was frowned upon and taking off a hat when entering a room was also considered outdated.

What to do if you’re looking for love

So, aside from following the romantic trend among your age group for finding a significant other, what else should you do if you’re searching for love?

Don’t be afraid to show your romantic side. One study revealed that 76% of Britons would enjoy having more romance in their lives but 57% said that they didn’t make romantic gestures because they didn’t want to be seen as cheesy! It might depend on where you live, too. If you live in the capital, definitely pull some romance out of the bag to woo your other half — an astounding 86% of Londoners said that they’d appreciate more romance in their lives.

Similarly, when dating site, Zoosk, conducted a study of 9,000 of its users, it discovered that when users call themselves a ‘romantic’ on their profile, their matches increase by 24% above the average match count. And, when the phrase ‘hopeless romantic’ was said, matches were boosted by 38%.

When deciding on a date, don’t think you have to splash out at an expensive restaurant to impress. Three-quarters of people surveyed in one study said that ‘snuggling in front of the fireplace’ is the most romantic date, followed by ‘candle-lit dinners’ (58%) and a ‘picnic in the park’ (45%).

Anything to avoid? People voted that mobile phone addiction, in particular at the dinner table (49%), was the biggest passion-killer. Closely followed by bad personal hygiene (45%) and rudeness (33%). So, no Snapchat or Instagram posts over dinner!

As we can see, the definition of romance has changed over time. But, this doesn’t mean that we’re any less romantic in ourselves — we simply have different ways of showing it. So, don’t be afraid to let your soft side show and display some affection.

* Guest post *