As a single gal navigating the dating scene, the world of apps and online courtship can be overwhelming; what is the acceptable timeframe to message someone after matching, and does a shocking lack of conversational skills on-screen translate IRL? There is so much to consider.
Anyone who has used a dating app before will know there are definite lulls in the journey to love-at-first-swipe; sometimes it feels like you're matching with every Tom, Dick and Harry, but there are definitely dry spells, too.
Thankfully, one woman has taken the guesswork out of one highly ambiguous aspect of dating apps, determining what for her are the best times of day to swipe for optimum exposure to potential suitors.
Georgia Murphy, who goes by the username @greasycurtainbangs, has shared her findings after conducting a very unscientific study of the times she had the most and least matches.
"Thursday is 'happy horny': everyone's excited for the weekend, they're gearing up and trying to find matches to go out with," she explained in the first video shared to her platform.
"Sunday, everyone's getting introspective. They're considering their death, their mortality, who they're gonna watch House of the Dragon with."
Taking her theory to Hinge, an app with an emphasis on long-term connections, the TikToker used the 'super-boost' feature - which ensures more people see your profile over a one-hour period - on Thursday and Sunday to see which one resulted in more connections.
The result? Forty-two likes on Sunday and 35 on Thursday.
To create a control element to her experiment, Murphy decided to also use the super-boost feature on Monday morning - a time she predicted would be far dryer in the online dating space due to work, commuting and hangovers.
"In a shocking turn of events, it turns out Monday morning is the horniest time of the week. My entire scientific method is disproved," she shared in a follow-up video, claiming she gained 54 likes.
Her research has seen other online daters speculate as to why Sunday and Monday appear to be the most popular times for swiping, with some theorising Sunday brunch is the perfect way to meet a prospective date.
"One of my prompts is Sunday brunch plans. I've never seen so many men arrange an actual date," one wrote.
"[On] Sunday people are chilling so more time to swipe?" suggested another.
"They're all avoiding work by browsing Hinge," a third guessed.
"So basically get your likes on Sunday but don't go through them until Thursday when they're happy and will interact," another concluded.
"Humanity appreciates you and this social experiment," a fifth applauded her, with a sixth quipping: "Hello this is Harvard, please call us."
Earlier this year, Lucille McCart, the Asia-Pacific Communications Director at Bumble, revealed the dating trends for 2022, saying that 'explori-dating', 'fast-forwarding', 'consciously single' and 'power PDA' were the current courses of courtship among app users.
