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If you feel hopeless about dating, then read these statistics.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart — Last updated on Apr 15, 2023
Most of us out there want to meet that special someone — the one who we will hopefully spend the rest of our lives with.
We search high and low for them. We go on sites like OKCupid and Tinder. We hit up bars and nightclubs hoping that we’ll fall in love with the dude dancing to Rihanna’s latest hit. Some of us even try to hit on people at the bookstore in hopes that we’ll snag a cerebral studmuffin.
But if you’re like a lot of people out there, many of these endeavors aren’t really bearing any fruit. Have you ever wondered where is the most likely place you’ll meet "the one"? You’re not alone. Statisticians, scientists, sociologists, and relationship experts all tend to be curious about where to find marriage material men and where people are meeting their future spouses.
Because there is a lot of interest in how people tend to find "the one," there are quite a few studies on the topic. Here’s what studies say are the most likely ways to meet the person you’re going to end up marrying, when you’ll most likely meet them, and what it takes for them to be “ready” to walk down the aisle.
According to a study by Marie Claire, the average woman will meet her future spouse at 25. Men will meet their soulmate a bit later, at around age 28.
According to a survey that was performed by Mic, the vast majority of people meet their significant others through mutual friends. Around 38 percent of all relationships start off between friends of friends. Another 22 percent said that they met their significant others through a social setting.
The same study also took a look at how the relationships developed after the first meeting. Of the relationships that blossomed, around half of them started off as platonic friends first.
Findings were similar in a study that was featured in The Washington Post. The study revealed that around 30 percent of all modern relationships started by meeting through mutual friends. The runner-up option was by meeting them at a bar or restaurant. The third biggest option? Online dating — but we all know how awful that can be.
What Will Make The Guy Ready To Propose?
As you can imagine, there has been a slew of different studies that have helped narrow down what makes guys willing to commit and finally pop the question. Here’s what they found:
1. They have to be financially stable
Most men will not even think about committing until they have a steady job and career. This is common knowledge, and yes, it was backed up by research as well.
2. They also have to be a certain age
High school grads will start thinking of marriage as a possibility when they are 23 to 25, according to Today. College grads will only start thinking of marriage at 25 to 29, with advanced degree holders holding out as long as 32.
3. But they also can’t be too old
After age 38, the chances of a man committing diminish drastically, according to the same study.
4. A really major finding among men who marry is that they often are fed up with the dating scene
Most men want to be with women and want to have sex on the regular. However, much like women, they get sick of the dating scene, too. In order for most men to want to commit, they will often need to tire out from dating and they have to want to start looking for “the next step” in life.
5. More interestingly, the one thing that makes most men want to commit is realizing they “no longer fit in” with most dating crowds
Singles bars are filled with people of a younger age and women think this is where to find marriage material men. If they feel too old to hang out with that crowd, they will often start looking for "the one." (That's what the Today study said.) Others interviewed also basically said it's about realizing they're too old to keep it up.
You are most likely to meet "the one" when you’re in your mid-to-late twenties. You are most likely going to meet him while out with friends, through a friend, or via online dating. And in order for him to commit, he will need to have gotten sick of the typical dating scene and have established himself in his career.
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Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer based out of Red Bank, New Jersey whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.