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Singles are looking past their initial “icks” and bonding over shared “weirdness” and even their “dark sides,” according to a new dating survey.
Riffing off social media fads, dating trends for 2025 are expected to include “yap-trapping,” “freak matching,” “grim keeping” and “st-ick-ing” around, according to an online poll conducted by dating app Plenty of Fish.
The term “yapping” has made a comeback in the last year and refers to people talking incessantly, often about trivial topics. In the dating world, getting “yap-trapped” means stuck on a date with someone who does all the talking — and doesn’t ask their match a single personal question.
Nearly 50% of the 6,000 US-based respondents said they experienced this.
One way to deal with a “yap-trapper” is to be direct and bring the conversation back to yourself, according to relationship expert Nicole Moore. “You can say something like, ‘You’re so good at sharing details about yourself and I love it. … What would you like to know about me?’”
Many of the chatters don’t realize they’re doing it and it could be a nervous habit, Moore noted.
Thirty-nine percent of suitors reported “freak matching,” connecting with someone over shared quirks, eccentricities, unique interests or general “weirdness,” according to Plenty of Fish.
That trend was likely influenced by the hit summer TikTok song “Nasty” by singer Tinache that asks, “Is somebody gonna match my freak?”
A TikTok search of “freak matching” features couples sharing in weird acts like a man rubbing Rogaine on his partner’s bald spots, and a girl quizzing her boyfriend on how she can match his freak — to which he responded, “sleeping with no underwear on.”
Rachel DeAlto, dating expert at Plenty of Fish, said the projected trends are about “embracing our individuality and authenticity.”
“When we put less pressure on ourselves, dating becomes more about having fun and enjoying new experiences,” DeAlto added.
The poll also found 28% of hopeful romantics said they have connected over being grim, their shared dislikes and things that “rub them the wrong way.”
Singles are also swiping left on the 2023 trend of giving into their “icks,” a phenomenon in which people are turned off by awkward, cringe-worthy things a potential love interest does. Thirty-sex percent of daters have chosen to “stICK instead of running from the ick,” the eighth annual poll, conducted in August, found.
Seattle matchmaker and life coach Caroline Millet said people are realizing that expectations of having a relationship that has zero “icks” is unrealistic.
“Even the love of your life will do a few things you don’t like and that you have to overlook,” Millet told The Post. “Picturing a relationship of only sunshine and butterflies is a recipe for disappointment.”
She said the key is separating “icks” from real red flags that indicate unhealthy or manipulative behaviors.
Other projections for the coming year are being “smutten” instead of “smitten” with characters in steamy romance books, TV shows and movies.
Thirty-three percent of singles reported the fictional fantasies, which was especially common among women — 40% of them.
A Plenty of Fish survey across the pond found that UK dating trends for 2025 will parallel those in the US. Singles are expected to seek someone to share their “swamp” with, letting go of any pressure to be anything other than their real selves.
Nearly 70% also reported “rejuve-dating” — prioritizing self-care after a break up.
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