Dating options are diminishing for heterosexual men as women are raising their ‘standards’.
In Psychology Today, couple and family psychologist Dr Greg Matos warned that young and middle-aged men are the loneliest they’ve ever been, and it's expected to get worse.
Dr Matos says this is partially due to men representing 62 per cent of dating app users, leading to a sweeping influx of potential matches for women, allowing them to become ‘increasingly selective’.
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He wrote: “I hear recurring dating themes from women between the ages of 25 and 45: They prefer men who are emotionally available, good communicators, and share similar values.”
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Dr Matos also pointed out that men who lack emotional intelligence and don't address it will increase the likelihood of long-term singledom.
He said: “The problem for men is that emotional connection is the lifeblood of healthy, long-term love.
"Emotional connection requires all the skills that families are still not consistently teaching their young boys.”
Dr Matos advises men to ‘level up’ their mental game and see a therapist to allow for some introspection.
He added: “It means valuing your own internal world and respecting your ideas enough to communicate them effectively. It means seeing intimacy, romance, and emotional connection as worthy of your time and effort.”
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A 2021 study published in Personality and Individual Differences also found that ‘loneliness’ was more significant in men than women.
Their findings also suggested that men are more reluctant to admit to feeling lonely due to the stigma attached.
While women are raising their standards when it comes to a potential suitor, studies have found that men get pickier with age - particularly when it comes to education.
Queensland University of Technology researchers observed more than 41,000 Australians, showing that men over 40 become the pickiest.
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Lead author of the study Dr Stephen Whyte said: "Our study highlights some really interesting findings in regards to both the similarities and differences between men and women's preferences when they are searching for a potential mate.
"We found that women are more specific than men in their preference up until the age of 40, then males become pickier than females from 40 years old onwards.”
Topics: News, Sex and Relationships, Science
Charisa Bossinakis