Ah, Valentine's Day. Some people love the roses and chocolates. Some people hate the saccharine sweet Hallmark cards that permeate the aisles. And, of course, some people just choose to treat February 14th as any other day of the year. Regardless of where you specifically fall on the spectrum, many people do place a lot of weight on the holiday, and that is evidenced by the number of people who log into the online dating sites in advance of, and after, 2/14.
A few years ago, the dating site Zoosk ran some numbers on their subscribers to see if any trends could be assessed. The site found that there were 16 percent more messages sent in the two weeks following Valentine's Day compared to the two weeks before. Why might this be? I have two theories:
1. The time leading up to Valentine's Day is full of pressure, so perhaps people prefer to wait until after the holiday when the pressure is off and there's no perceived deadline to find a date or a relationship.
2. Just like the Turkey Drop, perhaps a recent relationship has ended, and the next thing people look to do is go online for a new belle or beau.
According to Zoosk, Valentine's Day itself had the least number of profile views of any day in February for both men and women _ 25 percent below average. This one makes sense. Not too many people want to admit to looking at an online dating site on what is supposed to be the most romantic day of the year. Valentine's Day also had the least number of registrations of any day in February for both men and women, down 16 percent from the average.
Interestingly enough, in 2015, Match.com said that its site was targeted to have more than two million users logging on over 36 million times in the first week of January, and the busiest period kicks off on Christmas Day each year and typically lasts until February 14. During that time, the site boasts a 30 percent increase in new member sign-ups.
This is interesting. Either Zoosk and Match see opposite trends for the two weeks leading up to the 14th, or the busiest season is skewed a bit to the right, peaking in late December and January and dipping a bit in February while still keeping the numbers above average. Match.com has said in the past, "Match.com sees a 20 percent uptick in new members the week after Valentine's Day (when compared to the subsequent weeks)."
What do I say about all of this? If you're single and looking, the time is now to get online. Whether this week or next week is statistically the best or the worst is irrelevant. What's most important is whether you feel ready, and if you do, then go for it!
