"Younger Man, Not a Long-Term Match": Gen Z in the US Analyze Dates with Friends

Analyzing Dating Records to Manage Compatibility and Patterns
"Data Over Emotions"... Relationships Judged by Numbers

In the United States, a so-called 'Love Hacking' culture is spreading among young people, where individuals record and analyze data about their dates to determine the future of their relationships.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently reported that cases of young Americans recording details about their dates—such as personality traits, how the meetings unfolded, and friends’ opinions—into spreadsheets or dedicated apps, then analyzing this information to make romantic decisions, are on the rise.

Caroline Travis (27), who uses the data management app 'Spread,' inputted information she and her friends collected after a few dates with a man she met in an entrepreneurship course. When the app's analysis highlighted a 'discord'—indicating that her core values and the fact that her date was ten years older would not be compatible for a long-term relationship—she ended the relationship after several more meetings.

“Talking things over with friends and visually confirming what I want and what’s actually happening through data are completely different experiences,” said Travis.

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This approach is used not only as a tool to evaluate partners but also to analyze one’s own dating patterns. By accumulating data, one might discover recurring behaviors such as “I usually develop feelings after the fourth date,” or “The people I got along best with were mostly engineers.”

Marketing professional Darby Mulligan (26) even organizes an annual party where she shares her 'Date Wrapped,' a summary of a year’s worth of her dating data visualized in charts and graphs, with friends. Attendees eat cupcakes decorated with photos of ex-partners while reviewing dating statistics and sharing their experiences from the past year.

There are also cases of individuals creating analytical tools and turning a profit. Brand strategist Peyton Knight (27) designed a dating spreadsheet where friends’ feedback can be recorded, then sold it via social networking services (SNS). More than 10,000 people purchased the template for $9.99 (about 14,000 won).

Experts note that this phenomenon is connected to side effects of the dating app era. Since it is easy to overlook important information amid so many options, systematically recording real-life experiences is seen as an effort to make more rational decisions.

On the other hand, some point out that excessive reliance on data could cause people to lose sight of the essence of relationships. Lily Womble, who operates a date coaching business, commented, “If you focus only on analysis, you might end up ignoring the emotions and intuition you feel when you’re with someone.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.