Dating SIX people at a time is the norm now – as monogamy is consigned to the history books
IS this a new sign of the times? It is now normal to date six people at once, a study has found.
The shift in what is considered normal dating was noted in a study by eHarmony Australia, which also found daters are becoming less considerate towards each other.
Traditional one-one-one relationships are being replaced with 'seeing' several people as daters unwilling to commit keep their options open
A massive 64 per cent of daters said they had been 'ghosted' before - meaning their date ignored all contact afterwards to avoid the awkward 'I don't want to see you anymore' conversation.
Surprisingly, 51 per cent of Australian daters admitted having ghosted someone in the last year.
And it is the rise in dating apps that has had a major impact on how people, particularly younger people, view the world of dating.
But the rising number of people dating several people at once adds some weight as to why these apps are failing.
Nicole McInnes, director of eHarmony Australia,: "The research here and around the world shows there is a lot of dissatisfaction in the outcomes of many dating apps.
"We want to make sure eHarmony continues to provide a superior service that leads to happier, healthier relationships."
But the death of monogamy is not the only shocking thing to come out of eHarmony's research.
The dating websites found 64 per cent of singles claim their relationship status is due to ‘not having met the right person’, when in fact they are spending as little as one hour per week actively networking and looking for dates.
That’s less than the time spent watching TV or films, exercising and even reading.
And the reason singles are putting such little effort into their love lives - films.
The study found that Hollywood's over-romanticised notion of what it is to fall in love is affecting relationships, with 55 per cent of respondents films have influenced their perception of what love should be like.
That has led to 65 per cent of people believing love is not something to search for but rather 'love will find you'.
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But some people elect to stay single out of convenience, the study found.
Some 67 per cent of respondents said they were single because they wanted time to themselves, while 62 per cent said it was because they were not accountable to anyone else.
Melanie Schilling, eHarmony dating and relationship expert, said people need to have positive emotion, engaging activities, positive relationships, higher meaning and a sense of accomplishment in order to be really happy.
She added: "A more strategic approach to dating doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming.
"Being considered about dating doesn’t take any of the romance away from that wonderful feeling of meeting the right person and falling in love."
It is not all doom and gloom for relationships though, for more than half of the Australian population finding "the one" is their biggest priority in life.