Betterment burnout and generational blend romances are among the predicted dating trends of 2024, according to Bumble.

The dating app has designated this year as the ‘Year of Self’ following an internal survey of over 25,000 users worldwide.

Joining The New Year Special with Clare Mckenna today to share the survey's findings was Bumble’s relationship expert Dr Caroline West.

She said New Year’s has always been a time of change in the world of dating.

“I think going forward into 2024 dating is going to be all about the self and prioritising what you really want to have and what type of relationship you want,” said Dr West.

“Around New Year we do that reflection and think about what we want to better ourselves on this year, dating is a normal part of that.

“It’s all about our emotional changes and that leads to dating.”

Year of Self

The Year of Self means people are planning on looking after their own interests, according to Dr West.

“It means looking at what you actually want in a relationship, what works for you rather than going along with what other people and think and want,” she said.

“It’s all about you and looking at what are your priorities and what are your needs and values.

“If you want to be single for a while and have causal hookups that’s fine, if you want a long-term relationship too that’s fine – it’s all about what you want.”

Generational blend romance

Dr West said 'generational blend romance' is something else to look out for in 2024.

“I think I blame Gen Z on this one,” she said.

“It’s the idea that we can date outside our specific age ranges now.

“We’re looking at instead of going ‘Oh they’re only 30, or 40’, you’re now looking more at the person themselves now and their emotional maturity.”

Harry Styles in concert, 11-02-2023. Image: PA Images / Alamy

Certain celebrities have contributed to this change of thinking, added that dating expert.

“If you look at the likes of Harry Styles and Pedro Pascal, they are very in touch with their emotions, said Dr West.

“They’re soft, gentle, and talk about kindness.

“Some people might say Harry Styles is too young or Pedro Paschal is too old but it’s all about their personalities, not their age.

“I think it’s great, it depends on maturity and not age – Gen Z are really good with discussing their emotions which is great to see.”

Betterment burnout

Dr West said ‘betterment burnout’ is another newly coined term in the world of dating.

“This is in response to the pandemic,” she said.

“If you’ll remember, during the pandemic, we all had to learn languages, bake banana bread, and do all these different things during lockdown.

“It’s a lot of pressure to constantly work on yourself; making these green juices and getting up at 5am.

“Betterment burnout is people saying ‘I’m okay as I am’ and that it’s fine to take steps to work towards yourself at your own pace, in your own time.”

Shared interests

The dating expert said it is also important to have shared interests with potential partners.

“If you’re fundamentally different all of the time that is going to cause an issue," she said.

“If you’re more of a Sunday brunch person or Sunday walk person – it really depends on how much your activities take up of your life.

“It is nice to do things together as well and it’s not as much fun if one person is absolutely hating the day.

“You don’t have to like everything your partner likes but it’s important to have some common ground to stay on the same page.”

Dr West added that people should do as they wish this year in terms of dating, whether that be one-night stands or long-term relationships.

Main image: Close up of a man using Bumble app on an iPhone. Credit: Chris Rout / Alamy Stock Photo