When it comes to dating, the Londoners are known for their charm and dry wit – but not necessarily for their ability to form long-lasting and healthy romantic relationships. Just ask Hugh Grant. Especially young city dwellers don’t seem to be all that interested in being tied down – personal development and successful careers have ousted ‘finding the one’ from the top of many people’s priority lists. Let’s have a look at the current dating and hookup culture in London.
Not your typical 90s Rom-Com
While its not impossible that there is a London bookseller currently falling in love with an American actress who stumbled into his shop in Notting Hill, its certainly not the norm for romantic developments in the British Capital City. Yes, people are still looking for companionship, and some might even be searching for love, but the fact is that there is an active, salacious hook-up culture developing in London. Dating apps can be found on just as many phones as Google Maps, and Uber drivers make a big chunk of their money sparing young people from the walk of shame after a night out. If Paris is the city of love, London is the city of one-night stands and short-lived affairs.
About expiration dating and work ethic
One reason for the short lifespan of many London-based relationships is the fact that it’s a rather transient place. And while love might be eternal (at least according to The Bangles), student programs and work visas usually aren’t. More often than not even promising relationships come with an expiration date, unless one partner is willing to uproot their whole life for love.
According to ECA International, London is also the fourth most expensive city in the world. People who can afford to live there are usually already married – to their job. Having a successful career is a top priority for many people living in the city, making it hard to find overlapping free time slots. After all, if you have to work from 7 am to 7 pm to afford your rent, want to see your friends and maybe even hit the gym, meeting new people to date often takes a backseat behind the demands of everyday life.
Escort Services are on the rise…and so are strange dating events
So even with 10 million people living in the same city, it can get lonely. Considering the time and effort it takes to meet potential love matches in London’s fast paced dating scene, it doesn’t come as a surprise that more and more people are willing to pay for companionship. Since sex work is legal in the UK, hiring an escort has become a popular way to keep the loneliness at bay at least temporarily.
Another result of London’s complicated dating culture is the rise in ‘innovative’ speed dating events like pheromone sniffing parties or silent dating.
Is there any hope for finding love in London?
But even though dating has become more complicated over the last years, there actually are happy couples to be found in London. Actually, only around 44 per cent of the population consider themselves to be single. So, it seems love can still be found in the British capital if one keeps looking – or at least a lot of fun.
