Perhaps, it is my age (47), but I can't seem to accept online dating/swipe apps as a way to meet a potential love interest (hookups are fine)
I still feel automatically turned off trying to meet a woman this way and to me it is still taboo. I am much, much more attracted to a female if I make a connection or met them the old-fashioned way (in person).
I could meet the exact same woman, but my attraction for her would be much higher if I met her at the gym, bar, grocery store, sporting event, etc. instead of one of hundreds of girls that you swiped left or right on at any given time during the day.
Anybody else feel this way?
I'm noticing a different issue as I have not used an online dating app in multiple years.
I have found it very difficult to meet 35-40 year old women in real life. Unlike you, I live in a major city. I also live in a part of a major city that tends to attract more unmarried and childless women. I still find it difficult to find women in that age range in the real world. Since I am childless, I am only seeking childless women.
Finding childless women 35-40 in real life is tough and one could probably say that finding women 35-44 is not that easy in real life.
In real life, if I spent more time in the bars in the suburbs, I could likely meet more women 35+. However, I think most women at bars in the suburbs of my city are women who have children already. There's a good chance they are not younger than I am (41) and also they don't live that close to me. While the mileage distance probably wouldn't look too far to a lot of people, the traffic in my city is very heavy. Driving between my central city neighborhood and the suburban neighborhoods where these suburban divorcees and likely divorced moms would live would be difficult in the early evenings after work on weekdays would be challenging for both me and for the woman.
Because of this, I think a lot of 40 something men end up using dating apps to try to find that somewhat difficult audience to find.
In my city, I know places to go where it would be easier to find women 25-34 and childless. However, I have somewhat of an age gap with these women. With an age gap, it is more difficult to initially attract and to sustain those interactions. Money becomes more of a factor for men who want big gaps (10+ years, but even can be relevant in 5-9 years). This is why most men end up with a woman less than 5 years younger than they are. Money is somewhat less of a factor with those women (but still relevant, especially for 35+ men).
For you, I could imagine that it is more difficult since you live in a pussie wasteland. Central New Jersey with smaller to medium sized towns is more of married people with families. I'm sure there are some single moms there (likely divorcees). Central New Jersey has far fewer options. You are too far from New York City and Philadelphia to actively participate in either of those markets. It's going to be difficult to get women near NYC or near Philadelphia to consider you via any method. Those women have too many options near them who are considering them.
I can identify with your point about how it is more satisfying to meet a woman through a real life method than through a dating app.
I wouldn't have a mental block over meeting women on dating apps. For me personally, I find that swipe apps are very competitive in my area and I'm not competing for women on them. I have been enjoying my time not using swipe apps. Swipe apps led to far too many negative interactions for me.
I'm not in any rush to use swipe apps again in the future.
if you think they are all angels because their profile says "No Hookups", youre kidding yourself.
I saw plenty of profiles with the "no hookups" line on it. I agree that it is important for men to not take that line seriously.
Those women have been riding the penis carousel and having short term sexual interactions with attractive men. They would likely do it again.
