09 Renewed intimacy

Renewed intimacy

After nearly two years of distance and isolation, a renewed desire for intimacy is shaking up dating culture.

Intentional dating is on the rise, according to Match. In its November 2021 “Singles in America” study, 62% of American singles said they are looking for meaningful, committed relationships, while only 11% are dating “casually.” According to an April 2021 report from the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, 44% of Americans say that commitment is more important to them post-pandemic. Even younger consumers are looking for committed relationships—81% of gen Zers want to be in a relationship within the next year, Match findings revealed.

New apps and platforms are helping facilitate deeper intimacy. Elate, an “antighosting” app, launched at the end of 2020 to encourage slower dating and stronger emotional connections. In place of endless swiping, Elate users are served 10 recommended profiles per day and are only allowed to chat with three people at a time.

Raspberry Dream Labs is reframing cybersex experiences to form meaningful connections. Its first project, Sensory Seduction, uses extended reality (XR) to allow users to feel haptic pulses on their bodies, mimicking the sensation of being touched. The experience is designed to offer an opportunity to “explore your sensuality and engage your sexual accelerators through the sensory stimulation.” The company has released a beta version of Raspberry Dream Land, an XR social event platform offering a virtual space for “radical self-expression, progressive arts and entertainment, social interactions and virtual relationships.”

Why it’s interesting “We’re witnessing a sea change in dating attitudes and behaviors,” Justin Garcia, executive director of the Kinsey Institute and scientific advisor at Match, wrote in a December 2021 article for the Wall Street Journal. “How we find and maintain intimate connections has changed over the past year… Today’s singles are focused on seeking and nurturing close relationships with mature partners over the long term,” he observed, calling the shift “a reset in modern dating culture.”