Hinge’s First Gen Z Report Reveals Top Dating Trends and Tips to Find a Relationship in 2024

NEW YORK, February 6, 2024: Today, Hinge is releasing a new D.A.T.E (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise) report revealing groundbreaking Gen Z dating insights. Hinge’s behavioral science experts found that while a majority of Gen Z Hinge daters (90%) want to find love, their collective worries about rejection are standing in the way. With guidance from Hinge's Director of Relationship Science, Logan Ury, and Love & Connection Expert, Moe Ari Brown, LMFT, the report provides actionable tips on how Gen Z can overcome their rejection worries and secure a relationship by showing good DBL (Digital Body Language,) embracing “Cringe Mode” and initiating the “What Are We?” convo.

• Cracking the Code of Good DBL (Digital Body Language)
  In modern dating, Gen Z daters prioritize what Hinge's experts have dubbed "DBL" to determine if someone is interested. What is DBL? It’s the non-verbal subtext of digital interactions, such as emojis, punctuation, message length, and response time. While a majority (77%) of Hinge daters say a match’s DBL reveals a lot about their intentions, Gen Z Hinge daters are 50% more likely than millennials to delay responding to avoid seeming overeager. With 56% of Hinge daters admitting they’ve overanalyzed someone’s DBL, good DBL is essential to avoid confusion, reduce pre-date anxiety for either person and provide reassurance before and after dates. Daters should show good DBL by being respectfully direct and responding quickly to a match.
  

• Embracing “Cringe Mode” to Find Love
  Hinge’s research uncovered that over half (56%) of Gen Z Hinge daters say that worrying about rejection has stopped them from pursuing a potential relationship. Enter “Cringe Mode” – a bold mindset to get out of your comfort zone and lay it all out there, even in the face of possible rejection. In 2024, Hinge is encouraging daters to let cringe conquer their fear by building rejection resilience and not being afraid to communicate their relationship desires openly from the get-go.
  
• Initiating the WAW (What Are We) Convo To Avoid Uncertainty
  While millennials always followed the rules of DTR (defining the relationship) early on, Gen Z feels less inclined to name their relationship status. 57% of Gen Z Hinge daters admit that they’ve held back from telling someone how they felt because they worried it’d be a turn-off. However, avoiding the “WAW” risks daters missing out on valuable relationships and getting trapped in a cycle of uncertainty. Whether their dating intentions are short-term, long-term, monogamous, or otherwise, Gen Z daters must ask “What are we?” at different relationship stages to ultimately take things to the next level.
  

“Sometimes it can feel difficult and intimidating to date, especially for daters with little to no experience. In today’s dating world, people often don't realize how normal rejection is, so it's crucial you don't let it prevent you from making a powerful connection,” said Moe Ari Brown, LMFT, Hinge’s Love and Connection Expert. “We created our first Gen Z D.A.T.E report as a supportive resource, helping daters build rejection resilience, communicate effectively, and find a great date in 2024.”

The Gen Z D.A.T.E. report also features case studies where Gen Z daters Khai Bellamy, Isaiah Xavier, and Stacy Thiru shared their personal dating experiences and perspectives on the research.

As the dating app designed to be deleted™, Hinge is constantly conducting research and listening to the needs of all daters to support them at every moment of their dating journey to help get them out on dates. Last year, Hinge released its first D.A.T.E. report highlighting the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community and a ‘Distraction-Free Dating’ guide encouraging daters to minimize distractions along their dating journey.

Download the report here to uncover all of the new research and advice.


Contact: press@hinge.co

Methodology

Hinge’s team of Ph.D. researchers and dating experts conducted surveys in August 2023 to more than 15,000 Hinge users across the world. The report features data from Hinge Labs, a team of Ph.D. researchers and dating experts, along with expert advice from Hinge’s Director of Relationship Science, Logan Ury, Love and Connection Expert, Moe Ari Brown, LMFT. The report also includes testimonials from Gen Z daters.

About Moe Ari Brown, LMFT, Hinge’s Love and Connection Expert (they/he)

Moe is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Hinge’s Love and Connection Expert. As a leading mental health expert specializing in transgender identity, they use their expertise to help daters create healthy and meaningful relationships. Over the past decade, Moe has worked with LGBTQIA+ individuals, couples, and families on their journeys of self-love and connection. With a passion for cultivating radical authenticity, Moe works with Hinge to ensure that everyone, no matter their identity, feels empowered to present their full self in dating and beyond.

About Logan Ury, Director of Relationship Science (she/her)

Logan Ury is Hinge’s Director of Relationship Science, where she leads a research team dedicated to helping people find love. After studying psychology at Harvard, she ran the Irrational Lab, Google’s behavioral science team. In 2018 she was selected as a TED Resident and is a Featured Speaker at SXSW 2021. Logan’s first book, How To Not Die Alone is a data-driven, step-by-step guide designed to help you find, build, and keep the relationship of your dreams.

About Hinge

The Dating App Designed To Be Deleted®: Hinge is on a mission to create a less lonely world by inspiring intimate, in-person connections. Through in-depth and personalized profiles, daters have unique conversations that get them off the app and out on great dates. And it’s resonating. Hinge is setting up a date every two seconds. Hinge was acquired by Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) in 2018.