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Online dating spikes as snow falls: experts – Metro US

Online dating spikes as snow falls: experts

Online dating spikes as snow falls: experts
Nicolaus Czarnecki/Metro

Snowed-in locals looking for love have been firing up their computers more often in their quest to find the one, according to Match.com.

The hellish weather that has brought frigid temperatures and more than 100 inches of snow on the region this winter has meant many have found themselves housebound.

It also apparently means that more people are using the dating site. Match says that during recent blizzards in the Northeast, email “initiations” has gone up 60 percent.

What does this mean exactly?

Well, according to Dr. Dan Pollets, a Medford-based certified sex therapist, the uptick in Match usage is “all about creating possibility for yourself.” Essentially, Pollets says when we feel miserable we turn to what soothes us and causes hope. Possibility of escape from a cruel winter, he said, is just a click away.

“People get depressed with all this snow, they can’t do what they like, they can’t drive, there’s a looming sense of being threatened. What can you do?” he asked. “Hope springs eternal. We need to be hopeful for some future possibility.”

Vastal Bhardwaj, a general manager for Match.com North America, said it is typical for Match to see increased activity when there is cold and inclement weather.

“Whenever the country is bundled up inside, singles are undoubtedly seeking companionship,” said Bhardwaj.

Match is hardly alone in seeing usage increase recently.

If you’re living in Massachusetts, chances are you’ve spent more time than usual on phone apps, according to a local analytics firm.

Localytics, based in downtown Boston, examined more than 30 million sessions across thousands of apps between Jan. 15 and Feb. 15.

Their findings?

The more snow, the more people used apps. On snow days — defined as when local universities cancelled classes — app usage increased by almost 30 percent. The highest levels of usage took place during or after significant snowfall: Jan. 27, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9.

“My surprise was at the amount of usage that is up — 30 percent is a very big jump,” said Dave Hoch, a business analyst at Localytics.

On days with heavy snow, weather apps saw the highest jump in usage; there was an average of 46 percent more traffic for weather apps than normal. Retail apps and photography apps were also big winners, according to Localytics, with such apps reporting a boost of 37 percent increase in traffic on those days.