These Are the Things That ‘Affirm’ a Relationship, According to Research

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For decades, single men and women have been searching for the best way to find their love. From matchmaking and blind dates to speed dating and dating websites , they have tried countless methods to find love. These methods have constantly changed and adapted with the technologies that were available at the time. But the goal has remained the same: finding love.

During this metamorphosis of the dating process, the way we date has changed. You are no longer in a relationship from one moment to the next. It is not so clear-cut anymore. Sometimes it starts with casual dating and gradually moves on to a more committed relationship. Others prefer not to call it a relationship, while it is a relationship. Dating is not as simple as it once was.

To gain insight into the love path that today’s singles are taking, dating site Lexa asked more than 1,000 Dutch singles how they experience this. For example, how do they save their date’s phone number? When do they first use a pet name? And when does it start getting serious?

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Contact name

If we go all the way back to the beginning, the ‘online love route’ usually starts with a dating app like Lexa’s . If that goes well, the contact is moved to an app like WhatsApp. But under what name do the singles save their match?

The research shows that half of the singles save their date only under their first name. Just over a quarter prefers the first and last name (28%), while 13% of the respondents use a nickname. To indicate that it is a love contact, singles often emphasize this by placing a heart or other emoji behind their name.

It is useful to avoid confusion: some singles conveniently place the name of the dating app – from which they know their date – after the name of their crush.

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Pet names

As the first dates are over and a relationship is starting to show, you could start using a pet name for your new love. But not everyone does that. The vast majority of Dutch singles (61%) indicate that they only start using a nickname when the relationship becomes serious – and not during dating. Only 5% of respondents indicate that they have no problem with it if this starts at an early stage.

What do singles call their loved one? When it comes to nicknames, people aren’t really creative. Popular pet names are ‘babe/baby’, ‘moppie/mop’, ‘schat/schatje’ and ‘cutie’, according to the research. These are the names that are mentioned most often. But there are also names that are a bit more original, such as ‘floppie’ or ‘suikermoppietoppiejoppie’.

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Confirmation

Once the singles know each other long enough to no longer feel ‘single’, the relationship starts to take on more serious forms . It becomes more personal, more familiar and more comfortable. But what are the signs, according to singles, that indicate that things are starting to get serious?

According to Lexa’s research, gradually leaving more stuff behind is the most important sign. For 63% of respondents, this is the first sign that things are serious. Walking around each other’s house in your underwear (34%) and farting in front of each other (31%) are also often mentioned as signs that things are okay. Both usually require a certain level of familiarity before people do this in front of someone else.

What else confirms the relationship? For almost a quarter of singles, meeting the parents is the moment that confirms the relationship. This can be a physical meeting or a video call. Other signs that are mentioned are peeing with the door open (22%), getting groceries for the other person (20%) and singing in the shower (13%).

Ultimately, there is of course only one real way to confirm a relationship and that is to live together. If there is one thing that confirms a relationship, it is the step to be with each other day in, day outpicklesto make beautiful. According to the research, 30% of singles find it ideal if this happens after 1 or 2 years of dating.

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