Survey: Is Spring Dating Fever Real?

Ah, spring! The season of hope and renewal. The day is getting longer and people are slowly getting into a summer mood. Some are happy to get outside without freezing their fingers off (and enjoy dates that don’t require buying anything). Others are already starting to look forward to their hot girl (and boy) summer. So it’s only fair to expect spring dating fever: a spike in frequency and intensity of dates. But is it actually real? Or is it just another myth?

To find out, Hily asked young Americans the same questions about their dating habits in February and in March. What did we find? Let’s get into it!

Young American Daters Are Excited for Spring Time Dates…

Young Americans do say they feel more eager to date in spring than in winter. As many as 1 in 4 agree. This statistic is not surprising. With the day becoming longer in spring, many finally feel their seasonal blues lift.

Sunlight is scientifically proven to influence our wellbeing and behavior. With the longer days, the levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone, are starting to lower, and we become more energetic and alert. In turn, serotonin and dopamine, the happiness hormones, rise, improving our mood even more. Besides, studies show that sunshine makes us more helpful and generous. It even turns out that on sunny days, our flirting is more likely to be successful. Knowing this, spring time dates sound especially exciting.

…But Spring Dating Isn’t Actually Different From Winter Dating

However, it turns out, feeling is one thing and acting is another. Spring dating app usage doesn’t actually look all that different from winter.

When asked how often they’ve been using dating apps recently, young Americans answered pretty much the same in March as in February. Slightly more were using the apps several times a week in March, and slightly fewer were using them several times a month, but the 1% difference doesn’t seem to warrant the name ‘spring fever’.

But maybe, even if they didn’t use the apps more often, at least the sunnier weather made them more energetic and they took more initiative? That didn’t prove true, either.

When asked how likely they were to text first on dating apps, young American daters responded exactly the same in spring as in winter.

Maybe that warm-weather-induced sweetness makes spring dating app users more likely to accept initiative from others? The answer, again, is no.

In February, 46% of young American daters said they’d been likely to agree to go on a date in the past couple of weeks. In March, 47% said the same. However enticing spring dating feels, in practice, it doesn’t seem all that different from cold winter time.

Old Matches Are Unlikely To Rekindle For Spring Time Dates

Springtime doesn’t seem to inspire daters to revisit their old matches and chats, either. The survey even shows that daters are slightly less likely to look back in spring. Overall, however, the tendency looks the same. Even if daters feel the ‘spring fever’, it simply doesn’t seem to translate into action.

Conclusion

Many young Americans say they feel more eager to date in spring. However, in practice, spring dating isn’t all that different from winter. People go on dates just as often, and there aren’t any changes in initiative or receptiveness to others’ advances. Even though young Americans are more excited for dating in spring, they don’t seem to actually act on their desires.

About Hily

Hily (pronounced like ‘highly’) is a dating app designed to connect singles with new people while supporting them in remaining authentic. Short for “Hey, I Like You,” it invites users to have fun and not look for a perfect match. By encouraging everyone to date as they are, Hily is breaking one of the biggest curses of online dating — feeling pressured to hide your true self. Praising self-exploration, self-acceptance, open-mindedness, and inclusivity, the app helps people put real connections first and keep competition at bay by unlocking their unique, fabulous selves. With features like icebreakers, compatibility checks, messaging, Major Crush, and zodiac synastry, Hily helps users express who they really are and connect in genuine ways.

Launched in 2017, Hily has become one of the top 5 dating apps in US app stores, with over 35 million users worldwide.