Speed dating is fun

With new apps like Tinder, online dating has become mainstream. While online dating used to be surrounded with fears of meeting creepy people, it now seems to be a new normal. But before there was online dating, there was speed dating. Speed dating can be a great way to meet new people in a casual way.

Some people seem to think it’s impossible to forge any meaningful connection with somebody in five minutes through speed dating. They claim that these interactions are artificial and fake. How can you genuinely get to know anybody?

And yet, this is coming from a culture that believes you can decide whether or not to date somebody by swiping left or right on a profile picture. So why can’t you know if you want to spend more time with somebody after actually talking to them for five minutes?

Nearly all of us have endured those never-ending dates, the ones we knew weren’t going anywhere after five minutes. The ones that left you contemplating sneaking out of the bathroom window to get away or texting a friend a code word for a fake emergency.

That’s one of the great things about speed dating. Within five minutes, if you know you’re definitely not interested, you only wasted five minutes. No need to think of any creative excuses to leave. And on the flip side, if you’re both interested, then you get a real shot at another date.

You might not know everything about somebody in five minutes, but you can know enough to tell if you would like to see them again. What happens next is up to you.

Top Reasons to go Speed Dating

1. No drama. With normal dating, you have to worry about whether or not you should give somebody your number. Then you  wonder if they were just being polite. You worry when they don’t call. With speed dating, you just check yes or no. If both of you check yes, then you have the opportunity to go out. No worries about what the other person thinks. You know right up front.
2. No doctoring of profiles. We’ve all heard the horror stories of two people connecting online, only to realize that the profile picture wasn’t real or that the person was actually pretending to be the opposite gender as a joke. Nothing is worse than being the victim of a scam like that.  With speed dating, what you see is what you get. There’s no fear that they’re actually twenty years older than they say are.
3. You know who you’re talking to. There’s no delay or time to waste with speed dating. No friend is sitting next to them, whispering in their ear what to say. Once again, there’s a level of authenticity that is lacking in online dating. You know you’re talking to the person you think you are.
4. Low-risk. Worst case you leave without making any real connection. If you don’t connect, you were in a group setting with lots of other people. There isn’t the pressure that comes along with online dating.

Speed dating might not be as mainstream as online dating, but there are many advantages to speed dating that make it a compelling option for many. See the upcoming events and start meeting new people.