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Majority believe in love
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, South Africans are facing a stark reality: they are love-starved. According to a just-released survey, more than 32% of single adults admit to feeling depressed and anxious about not finding love.
A RECENTLY conducted survey has found that 32% of single adults admit to feeling depressed and anxious about not finding love. This amidst the hype around Valentine’s Day that comes up this Friday, 14 February.
The national poll was conducted by Pharma Dynamics, a pharmaceutical company that specialises in medication for the treatment of depression and anxiety.
According to the pharmaceutical company, three in ten of the 529 single adults polled nationally, said being single makes them feel lonely, while 12% said they felt less attractive and 36% blamed themselves for their loveless situation. The majority however (89%) still firmly believes in true love and 76% said that finding that special someone would contribute greatly to their overall state of happiness.
Mariska van Aswegen, spokesperson for the company, said today’s generation of young people are finding it harder than ever to find fulfilling long-term relationships.
“There are a number of factors that contribute to making finding Mr or Mrs Right so much more difficult in the 21st century. Globally, rates of loneliness are increasing as social structures disintegrate,” van Aswegen said.
According to the poll, the gym, book and/or dance clubs seemed to be the most popular hangouts for single South Africans to find love, voted for by 56% of participants. More than 35% of respondents said they are confident about finding their match online, while 26% cited the workplace, 23% the supermarket, 22% the park and 16% still relied on the local pub to produce their perfect mate.
Van Aswegen notes there are many pros to online dating, but that one should be careful not to lean on the online dating crutch too much.
More than 20% of the respondents have fixed ideas about how quickly one should, ought to, have to and must find love and 36% admitted to having long checklists about their potential partners. 55% also said they find themselves withdrawing from dating opportunities and pre-emptively rejecting suitors based on past experiences and preconceived ideas.
