The Evolution of Romance *

-This post is in collaboration with Angelic Diamonds-

How have romantic traditions changed?

With the popularity of dating apps, social media and a range of popular dating terms (ghosting, anyone?) you could be forgiven for thinking that romance is dead – but is it really? A recent survey spanning different generations by dating site eHarmony found that millennials actually place a high value on romance and are the most romantic of all the generations. It could be possible that younger people express love and romance differently when compared to previous generations. Here, Angelic Diamonds who specialise in marquise diamond rings, investigate how romantic traditions have changed over the years.

How do we define romance?

When older people like your grandparents talk about how they first started dating, they’ll probably mention a couple of restaurant dates, trips to the cinema or bowling. There were no dating apps to help start up a conversation and no option to ‘ghost’ someone by not returning their texts — in fact, you might think that it was much more romantic back then. But, the older generation had their dating sites in the form of lonely hearts ads (the first one being published in 1695) and it’s likely that people still had the experience of being stood up. So, maybe it wasn’t that different after all.

Many people hold the belief that younger generations are less affectionate than those before them, but perhaps this is simply down to the way they recognise romance. When asked, all Britons agreed that the top five romantic gestures were: holding hands (46%), cuddling (44%), giving a surprise gift (43%), a romantic walk (32%) and giving flowers (31%). When different age groups were asked about their opinions on historically chivalrous acts, differences became clear. A huge 93% of over-45s believed there was still a place for them in the 21st century, whereas 37% of 18-24 year olds disagreed. In particular, ordering for someone at a restaurant was frowned upon and taking off a hat when entering a room was also considered outdated.

What are the most popular romantic gestures by age group?

Different generations express love in different ways, as shown here: 18-24 years: 90% say that they hold hands when they’re out for a walk, 70% make sure that they go on date nights together, and 68% enjoy making romantic gestures such as writing love notes. 25-34 years: 79% enjoy making romantic gestures — more than any other generation 35-44 years: 15% less likely to go on date nights than older millennials. Holding hands during walks was the most common romantic gesture among this age group 45-54 years: less likely to buy their partner small gifts between birthdays and more likely to hold hands during a walk 55-64 years: 59% like to go on a date night and 49% enjoy making romantic gestures 65+ years: over 50% like to go on date nights and 40% like making romantic gestures. They were the least likely to buy gifts for partners outside of birthdays.

People from every age group stated that it was extremely important to let their partners know that they love them, with 68% admitting that they say it every day.

What should you do if you’re looking for love?

We’ve covered the generational differences when it comes to romance, but what steps should you take if you’re looking for love yourself? Dating site, Zoosk, conducted a study of 9,000 of its users, it discovered that when users call themselves a ‘romantic’ on their profile, their matches increase by 24% above the average match count. And, when the phrase ‘hopeless romantic’ was said, matches were boosted by 38%.

If you’re taking your date out for a meal, you don’t have to splash the cash to impress them. Three-quarters of people surveyed in one study said that ‘snuggling in front of the fireplace’ is the most romantic date, followed by ‘candle-lit dinners’ (58%) and a ‘picnic in the park’ (45%). People voted that mobile phone addiction, in particular at the dinner table (49%), was the biggest passion-killer. Closely followed by bad personal hygiene (45%) and rudeness (33%). So, no Snapchat or Instagram posts over dinner!

Showing off your romantic side is still as popular as ever. One study revealed that 76% of Britons would enjoy having more romance in their lives but 57% said that they didn’t make romantic gestures because they didn’t want to be seen as cheesy! It might depend on where you live, too. If you live in the capital, definitely pull some romance out of the bag to woo your other half — an astounding 86% of Londoners said that they’d appreciate more romance in their lives. So, romantic traditions have transformed over time and we all express our love in different ways. But, this doesn’t mean that we’re any less romantic in ourselves — we simply have different ways of showing it. So, don’t be afraid to let your soft side show and display some affection.  

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