modern love | Dating Dave

Caught in a Situationship? Why Almost-Love Can Hurt More Than a Breakup

June 26, 2025

There’s nothing quite like the confusion of a situationship. One minute you’re laughing, texting, hooking up, maybe even holding hands at brunch. The next minute, they’re introducing you to someone as “a mate” and leaving you on read for two days straight. You’ve got the intimacy of a [...]

What Is Relationship Anarchy – and Is It the Future of Love or Just Total Chaos?

June 22, 2025

So you’ve swiped, matched, dated, ghosted, healed, repeated. Maybe you’ve tried monogamy, maybe not. Maybe you’re wondering if the rules of traditional relationships even work for you anymore. Enter: relationship anarchy. It’s a term that’s trending fast in dating circles, online forums, [...]

The Surprising Power of Personal Space in a Relationship

June 22, 2025

When most people think of love, they picture shared beds, tangled limbs, soft whispers at 2 a.m. But what if love doesn’t always look like sleeping side-by-side every night? What if more space between the sheets actually brings you closer together? It sounds counterintuitive—but it’s a real [...]

Micromance in the Pandemic Era: Little Gestures, Big Impact

June 21, 2025

If there’s one thing the last few years have taught us about love, it’s that the little things matter more than ever. Gone are the days when grand romantic gestures were the gold standard for measuring affection. In their place, something quieter—but no less powerful—has emerged. Welcome to [...]

Are We Moving Off the Relationship Escalator?

June 21, 2025

For decades, most people operated on a kind of cultural script when it came to relationships. You meet, you date, you fall in love. You move in, get engaged, get married, buy a house, have kids, and grow old together. That sequence—what relationship experts call the relationship escalator—has [...]

Relationship Anarchy: Could It Be the Freedom You Didn’t Know You Needed?

June 13, 2025

Kia ora, it’s your mate Dating Dave—back to dig into a dating trend that’s been bubbling under the surface but is now finding its voice, especially with younger generations. It’s called relationship anarchy, and no, it’s not just about chaos and rebellion. It’s a radical rethink of how [...]

Why Couples Are Celebrating ‘Arbitrary-Versaries’ in 2025

May 28, 2025

Love has always been about milestones—first dates, first kisses, anniversaries. But in 2025, a quirky, endearing new trend is sweeping across the dating world, especially among younger couples: arbitrary-versaries. These are not your traditional markers like “we’ve been together one year [...]

Frugal is the New Sexy

May 27, 2025

When did budgeting become the new bouquet of roses? In 2025, a growing number of singles are ditching overpriced dinners and weekend getaways for more down-to-earth, thoughtful ways to date—and it’s never looked more attractive. Gone are the days when flashy spending was seen as a key to [...]

Debunking Relationship Myths: What Really Matters in Love

May 26, 2025

When it comes to love, we all grow up surrounded by stories, fairy tales, and Hollywood narratives that feed us ideas about what a “real” relationship should look like. But somewhere between Cinderella and The Bachelor, we’ve internalized a lot of false expectations. In 2025, experts are [...]