Most of us probably believe that all couples go through the same stages of dating – two people fall in love, get intimate, get married, have kids, live happily ever after. This was true a couple of years ago, during our grandparents time. But today, this isn’t the case anymore as revealed by a survey.
The Stages Of Dating During Modern Times
A popular website did a survey, with about 1000 couple participants. The goal was to find out the stages major relationships go through, starting from when the couple met until they break up or tie the knot.
- Of course, there’s the spark. That spark results to a first date.
- Consecutive dates follow after the first.
- Majority of the surveyed couples usually waited for 3 months before getting intimate with the person they’re dating.
- Afterwards comes the talk of exclusivity. One in every three participants said that they went through the talk with their partner.
- It is in the same three-month period that most couples reported that they deactivated their dating profiles.
- One month after the three-month-mark, 29% of the couples reported having shared their photo with their new partner on social media. This is at the same time that couples exchange “I love you”.
- Five months in and the, now officially, the couple feels more comfortable leaving their personal belongings in their partner’s flat.
- A significant number of participants said that during their sixth month together, they were able to become vulnerable with their partners. The sixth-month is usually the make or break month. If a couple gets passed this, it meant that things were getting serious.
- 45% got engaged after a year of dating.
- Lastly, most couples waited a year after they were married to have children.
Analyzing The Stages Of Dating Today
So what does this data tell us? First off, it reveals that online dating could play a significant role in the meeting of the participant couples. It wasn’t specified in the survey but one of the stages of dating involved deactivating online profiles.
Secondly, despite the new steps or stages that couples go through, there is still a significant amount of waiting time before two people make it official or before two people decide on getting married. A lot of couples, not all, of course, are still taking it slow to make ensure that their decision is right.
It might do you some good to start online dating before the year ends. Take it from the survey, when you find someone you’re interested in, take it slow. For more dating updates and tips, check out more on our blog.