Hily’s New T.R.U.T.H. Report Guides Daters From Fearing the Singlehood to Dating by Choice
Date because you want to—not because you have to
Las Vegas, October 13, 2026—As cuffing season meets spooky season, Hily’s new Dating T.R.U.T.H. Report (Trends & Realities: Unfiltered Truth Highlighted) reveals that 44% of Gen Z daters have used a dating app out of fear of being single. That’s a scary reason to start dating, so Hily is here to help people date scare-free this Halloween and beyond.
Hily surveyed 3,500 of its Gen Z daters across the U.S. about their fears around singlehood. One in three say they’ve feared being single, while 25% of Gen Z women and 18% of Gen Z men say they’ve entered a relationship because they were afraid of being single.
In the Halloween-edition Dating T.R.U.T.H. Report (Trends & Realities: Unfiltered Truth Highlighted), Hily, with Dr. Liesel Sharabi, Relationship Science Advisor, calls out five common fears about singlehood that rush Gen Zers into dating and offers tools to get rid of them.
Truth #1: Humans are whole beings, not halves
One of the messages that makes being single scary is “you must find your other half.” It’s meant to sound romantic. But it also suggests something scary: that you’re not a complete person until you’re in a relationship. No wonder 72% of women and 65% of men say they’ve worried they won’t find their missing half. And 70% of Gen Z women and 69% of men admit that hearing “you must find your other half” makes them feel pressured to date.
Dr. Liesel Sharabi explains: “Being single doesn’t mean you’re incomplete or that you’re lacking. It’s better to find a partner who adds to an already meaningful life than to look for someone to complete you. Try to focus on building a life you love regardless of whether you’re single or in a relationship.”
Truth #2: 30 and even 40 is young adulthood
Another message that makes being single scary is “there’s no life after 30 if you’re single.” It makes turning 30 sound like the beginning of a scary movie rather than the start of another chapter. As a result, 32% of Gen Z women and 34% of Gen Z men say they’ve feared there’s no life after 30 if they’re single, and 63% of Gen Z women and 65% of men say hearing “there’s no life after 30 if you’re single” makes them feel pressured to date.
Dr. Liesel Sharabi explains: “If you’re single at 30, you’re in very good company. Today, people are entering into relationships and marrying later in life. One of the biggest advantages to dating as people get older is knowing yourself better and having more experience.”
Truth #3: Starting a family takes more than a ticking clock
“Your biological clock is ticking”—it’s a message that can make dating feel like a countdown. It puts age at the center of a deeply personal decision, as though finding a partner and starting a family are simply things to get done before time runs out. Among those surveyed, 38% of Gen Z women and 34% of Gen Z men say they’ve feared their biological clock is ticking. And 59% of Gen Z women and 58% of men confess that hearing “your biological clock is ticking” makes them feel pressured to date.
Dr. Liesel Sharabi explains: “More and more people are choosing to have children later in life (or, in some cases, not at all). The reasons are pragmatic: A 2019 Pew Research study found that the top reason couples living together weren’t married was not feeling financially ready yet. There are also many different ways to start a family. Having a child is a deeply personal decision, and there are many factors to consider beyond age.”
Truth #4: Pets and daters aren’t mutually exclusive
Somewhere along the way, cats became the punchline to a story about not finding love. And 1 in 4 Gen Z women and 1 in 5 Gen Z men say they’ve feared they’ll end up with only cats to keep them company. Hearing “You’ll end up with cats” makes 40% of Gen Z daters feel pressured to date.
Dr. Liesel Sharabi explains: “Pets can benefit our physical and mental health, regardless of our relationship status. They provide companionship and can improve our daily well-being and routines. Having a pet can also point to a lot of good qualities about a person, from compassion to responsibility.”
Truth #5: “Single” doesn’t have to mean “lonely”
“You’ll die alone” is a frightening thing to hear, and it turns being single into a prediction about the rest of your life. It leaves little room for all the other people who can make a life feel full. For 57% of Gen Z daters, dying alone is something they’ve feared. And hearing “you’ll die alone” makes 67% of Gen Z women and 68% of men say it makes them feel pressured to date.
Dr. Liesel Sharabi explains: “Being single isn’t the same as being lonely. Many single people have fulfilling social lives surrounded by friends, family, colleagues and the communities they’re a part of. Loneliness is about the quality and not just the quantity of our personal connections.”
Gen Z Is Switching To Dating Scare-Free
Scary stories about singlehood may get under Gen Z’s skin, but that doesn’t mean they agree with the message. In fact, 75% of Gen Z women and 63% of Gen Z men think people shouldn’t go on dates out of fear of being single. And 82% of women and 69% of men think people shouldn’t enter romantic relationships for that reason.
To help daters exorcise those fears, Dr. Liesel Sharabi recommends:
- Choosing your circle carefully. Be mindful of who you share things with and know you don’t have to take dating advice you didn’t ask for.
- Knowing your worth. Don’t let fear rush you into a relationship, and don’t compromise your standards to follow someone else’s timeline.
- Leading the change. Don’t pressure or shame people for being single, and recognize that we all move at our own pace. Communicate the types of messages you wish you’d hear more of.
Contact: pr@hily.com
Methodology
This report was developed by Hily’s dedicated research team along with Relationship Science Advisor Dr. Liesel Sharabi, PhD. For this report, we surveyed 3,500 Gen Z daters in the U.S. in 2026 to explore the warnings and scary stories about singlehood they hear, the fears they have about being single, and how those fears affect their mental state and the way they see their own singlehood. The participants were women and men who identified as heterosexual.
About Dr. Liesel Sharabi, PhD, Hily’s Relationship Science Advisor
Dr. Liesel Sharabi is an Associate Professor of Communications and director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at Arizona State University. As a relationship scientist, she studies the impact of technology on dating and love. She writes a column, “Dating in the Digital Age” for Psychology Today and has published dozens of book chapters and articles on mate selection and relationship development.
About Hily Dating App
Hily (pronounced like ‘highly’) is the dating app made for anyone who’s done pretending, seeks authenticity and wants to keep it real from the start. By normalizing honest dating, Hily is breaking one of the biggest curses in online dating: feeling like you have to hide who you are just to fit in. Short for “Hey, I Like You,” it invites to have fun, date as you are, and leave the whole perfection game behind. On Hily, daters can show up as their actual self—no fake vibes, just real connection. It’s a space where there’s zero pressure to pretend. With features like Icks&Clicks, Consent Guard, Major Crush, Hily makes it easy to express who you really are and connect in ways that actually feel authentic.
Launched in 2017, Hily has become one of the top 5 dating apps in US app stores, with over 44 million users worldwide.