Dating in 2026 is confusing, exhausting, and for some, downright scary. We want connection more than ever—but we’re terrified of choosing wrong, being vulnerable, or looking foolish. I don’t think people are worse at dating in 2026. I think we’re just more overwhelmed. We are so used to digital interactions that analog (real-world) experience now feels intense and nerve-wracking. We are socially rusted.

Dating these days feels less like meeting someone and more like preparing for a performance review you didn’t apply for. It’s like The Hunger Games, but with cocktails. Everyone has a highlight reel, a short attention span, an obsession with validation, and a quiet suspicion that someone better is one swipe away. Romance didn’t die; it just got put on hold while everyone checks their phones. Maybe that’s why

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