Discovering love as an expat can be both daunting and rewarding, with different dating and relationship norms in each European country requiring you to alter your expectations accordingly.
American men and women tend to play games with potential matches by waiting a certain period before calling or texting back; Europeans do not follow this practice.
How dating trends differ across Europe
As our globalized world becomes smaller, international dating is becoming an ever more common phenomenon. Yet navigating a new dating scene without understanding its rules can be intimidating; especially for expats. That’s why we conducted a survey with 500 (mostly but not exclusively heterosexual) expats from Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands Spain Switzerland to gain a better understanding of how dating works in Europe.
What we found was that love rules differ across Europe. From how couples meet casually to the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, Europeans each have their own dating style – though certain aggravating dating trends like ghosting and sexism tend to be more prominent in the US than elsewhere in Europe.
American expats tend to meet potential dates through work or online dating apps, while Europeans usually meet each other through informal means like walks or dinner dates before officially introducing themselves as couples. This laid back approach may be due to cultural values prevalent across many European nations that place greater importance on personal relationships over professional success.
But the digital era is also creating new challenges to traditional relationships, with some young people opting to live separate dating lives and social lives online. This trend is particularly apparent among Gen Z members whose digital behaviors have become a core component of their identity; according to Ypulse – a digital research firm focused on Gen Z – this generation is more likely than other generations to have met someone via social media, porno francais channels or an app and become intimate partners.
Europeans’ increasing focus on digitally-focused romantic lives is driving the growth of the dating app services market in Europe. Europeans spent over $780 million in 2021 on dating and social discovery apps alone; as these apps gain more users, Europeans seek additional features that help them find their ideal mate more easily.
The Netherlands
Dutch men and women are known for their open, direct communication styles in both their workplace and dating lives, not being afraid to bring up potentially sensitive subjects early in a date if necessary. Although this may come across as rude to foreigners, this approach shows they take their relationships seriously without playing games with them.
Dutch dating culture offers an authentic experience that often results in some interesting discussions. A Dutchie may ask about your views on sensitive subjects like religion and politics as soon as the first date – though this might seem intimidating at first, it can actually be used to assess whether two individuals are compatible. They don’t waste their time or energy with those they deem unsuitable and will quickly move on if things don’t progress as planned.
Dutch couples don’t shy away from discussing physical aspects of their relationship at an early stage, such as intimate matters like how often or type of sex they’d like. Many find this upfront discussion refreshing and it helps move things along in an effective manner.
Dutch people, like other European nations, are no strangers to using online dating services to meet potential partners. This is especially true among younger generations who use these platforms to connect with singles in their area and potentially meet in person for their first date or exchange contact details before planning another rendezvous in person.
Matchmaking events provide a popular alternative for those unsure if online dating is for them; these events allow individuals to meet potential matches while remaining independent. There are matchmaking events across the Netherlands; many will advertise themselves through social media. Matchmaking events provide an easy and fun way to meet people while keeping all options open.
Germany
Germans are notoriously candid when it comes to dating, often taking an honest and straight-talking approach when communicating. While this can seem harsh at first, remember that Germany values integrity and trust highly – they will make sure you know if a date doesn’t work out quickly and honestly! While this might be hard for some to adjust to initially, keep in mind they don’t mean any harm; just that they want you to understand if their relationship doesn’t go any further.
Germans tend not to play games when it comes to relationships. It isn’t uncommon to witness friends and acquaintances becoming partners within groups of long-standing friendships – one drunken makeout in a bar can often suffice. Additionally, Germans frequently find partners through trusted social circles or dating websites.
Once connections are formed, dates usually follow swiftly – depending on who it’s with, this could involve meeting for coffee or going to a movie, hiking and biking dates can also be common activities – Germans pride themselves on punctuality; don’t be late!
Gender equality in Germany is of great significance, which extends into dating relationships. Women are treated equally to men on dates and expected to pay equally on them. Furthermore, Germans tend to be welcoming of LGBTQ rights – something evidenced by events like Berlin Pride festival.
Before venturing forth on your dating journey in Germany, it is imperative that you gain more insight into its dating culture. While different from that in other countries, Germany still makes for an excellent starting point if your goal is finding love internationally! With proper expectations and research behind your search for potential matches there, love could just be around the corner!
France
French culture is well known for its love of romance, yet dating doesn’t involve champagne-fueled dates alone in France. Instead, French dating traditions prefer referring to relationships as rendez-vous (meeting up together).
Newcomers to dating may take some time adjusting, as French culture follows different rules than most Western cultures when it comes to relationships. They tend not to go out alone with people they just met – rather, more commonly they participate in group activities such as dinner parties with friends or going to sports events or concerts as part of a larger group activity.
French expats typically meet potential partners through online dating apps, social networks or even through the comments of tubes like tukif; meetings often start off casually – text messages like “Shall we meet for drinks? or an invitation from friends can start things off!
After having had multiple meetings, couples typically invite their friends along to an activity such as attending a comedy show, museum visit, dinner party or less traditional pursuits like cooking classes and discovery flights as ways of spending quality time with a potential romantic interest.
Once a relationship becomes more serious, French couples tend to exchange kisses after each date or create a “kissing code” to signal exclusivity between themselves and one another. Still, however, it may take time before couples introduce each other’s friends and families.
French daters may appear more reserved and subdued than American daters at first glance, but this should simply reflect their cultural values. Though reserved by nature, they’re strong individuals with clear goals who know exactly what they want out of life – this makes it important for all of us to avoid stereotyping any culture, including our own.