Carouselling trend is killing the first date for Gen Z heres how to keep up the chemistry: expert
Dating in the age of social media can be a vicious cycle.“Carouselling” is the latest foul play to get called out in the dating game.Some singles are being accused of stalling amid their tireless scrolling and swiping on dating apps, chatting with matches for weeks or months with no urgent intent of meeting in real life.One dating expert claims this habit has led to too much overthinking and ignited anxiety, especially among those just entering the dating pool: Gen Z.Tina Wilson, New York-based relationship expert and founder of the dating app Wingman, describes this as “the feeling of being stuck in a never-ending loop of messages before meeting a match on a dating app,” she told the Daily Mail.
“To the Gen Z generation, carouselling is more about dating app burnout, where they feel overwhelmed by too many choices, leading to constant messaging out of fear that something better is always just around the corner,” Wilson explained, adding that the psychology stems from a “build-up of expectation and uncertainty.”“Prolonged anticipation can create unrealistic expectations, overthinking, and pressures on both daters, which, once triggered, can make it very hard for them to meet in person,” Wilson said.“The unknowns become too much, and it’s over before it even started.”Wilson also attributes this cycle to the “lack of non-verbal cues” in online dating.“There are a lot of smoke and mirrors, and pressure to impress or present a version of yourself that you want others to see, reflecting an online profile of perfectionism,” she noted.
“But that isn’t real, so, particularly with Gen Z or people who live and breathe social media, this culture just sets daters up for disappointment.”To combat this, Wilson suggests getting out of the “carousel” cycle as soon as possible — but she also warns against meeting up with a match too quickly, as that can bring up other risks.“There’s also an unspoken pressure to meet someone straigh...