Is dating in 2025 harder than ever before?

The question seems simple, but the answer isn’t. First, we need to separate two concepts we often mix up: going on dates and being in a relationship. Dating today isn’t harder than before, if anything, it’s easier. What has become harder is forming a serious relationship. It sounds contradictory: how can it be easier to meet people yet harder to stay with someone?

We live in a digital era where meeting someone is as easy as swiping right. Before, you had to run into people in a class, a bar, or even the supermarket line. Now apps like Hinge, Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, Raya, and Fruitz offer an endless stream of possibilities. Getting a first date has never been simpler.

But easy dating doesn’t mean easy compatibility. Experiences range from sitcom-worthy encounters to dates that feel like job interviews. You might have a perfect night and still get ghosted the next day. Or you realize the other person isn’t looking for anything serious, they want to “see what happens,” “go with the flow,” or avoid “labels”: the holy trinity of vague commitment, also known as a situationship.

There’s also the desire to meet someone offline, which feels more romantic but also more intimidating. Approaching a stranger, risking public rejection, or trying to read whether there’s genuine interest can be nerve-racking. Sometimes swiping is easier than holding someone’s gaze.

The real issue isn’t the lack of options; it’s the kind of relationships people want today. Traditional romance hasn’t vanished, but it definitely feels weakened. Many people simply don’t want a serious relationship anymore, and there’s nothing wrong with that. What’s changed is the dominant model: connections that are lighter, casual, and low-commitment. If stable relationships were once the norm, now they often feel like exceptions.

Both online and offline, the same pattern repeats: lots of dates and momentary connections, but often one or both people are looking for sex, temporary companionship, or emotional distraction rather than commitment. And the reputation of dating apps as hookup spaces doesn’t help when you’re searching for something deeper.

So the conclusion is clear: dating in 2025 is incredibly easy (Although that doesn’t mean every date is good), but turning dates into a relationship is much harder. Classic romance, the spontaneous flowers, handwritten notes, long phone calls, feels almost nostalgic. People used to communicate their intentions more directly. Today, ambiguity is everywhere: half-relationships, half-love, bonds that work only as long as no one asks for commitment. It’s not necessarily negative; it’s simply the dominant style now. Liquid, flexible relationships. Some want companionship without depth, others sex without attachment, others connection without labels, and some don’t know what they want at all.

But if you’re looking for something real, stable, and serious, the truth is simple: yes, it’s harder than before. More options don’t mean more commitment. More dates don’t mean more real connection.

…love isn’t dead; it’s just going through an identity crisis…