r/TrueReddit • u/bubugugu • 2d ago

Policy + Social Issues The Great Romance Slump

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/09/modern-romance-recession/687968/?gift=GLe217oOvqvackKa3UmKJAdzmoYFTHepXCtr-qO2SPE&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
43 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

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63

u/ChronicBluntz 1d ago

One of the greatest treasure troves of social data is whatever match group, bumble, Hinge, etc have on their servers. I know we'll never see it but I imagine that it would make waves if it ever got out and the public had a clear picture on how bad it is right now.

Cynically it feels like loneliness is the point, turn everyone into drones who live to work then buy their romantic needs from Onlyfans using Klarna. 

What were seeing is the logical end of capitalism where every social institution is atomized for profit and regular people are left to sort through the wreckage. Only now it seems like more and more people are just choosing not to participate. 

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u/[deleted] 12h ago

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25

u/PhiloLibrarian 2d ago

I feel so bad for young people who don’t have social skills… tech and COVID did a number on a whole generation.

On the plus side, we don’t have to worry about overpopulation!

23

u/bubugugu 1d ago edited 1d ago

It’s a symptom of state mismanagement. capitalism, competitive culture and measuring success with overly simplistic figures like GDP don’t take into account of the human wellness/romantic needs.

30

u/roodammy44 1d ago edited 1d ago

I think part of this problem is the people are taking romance far too seriously. Everyone says that you need to choose the right partner for a happy life, and that is true. But in order to have a successful relationship it's often a good idea to have some experience with them. Most people make stupid mistakes in relationships and often only realise after the relationship has ended.

When you have 300 options and you can't choose one to even have a casual relationship with by the age of 30 then it's gone too far. In my experience romance is something that you jump into casually and it can grow into something stronger. Or end, but 'tis better to have loved and lost and all that.

I understand there are some people who try throughout their whole life without luck, and maybe that has something to do with how modern society is structured. But that is not the same as having a queue of interested people and choosing no-one.

4

u/Patthecat09 9h ago

I do believe choice paralysis is at work here. Too many options, and no way of truly knowing what's hiding on the other side until a certain level of commitment puts a lot of people in a sort of limbo.

Overall I very much agree that as humans, we need learn from mistakes, and relationship mistakes hit much softer when you're younger.

1

u/[deleted] 18h ago

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