New Delhi: Forget candlelight dinners. This monsoon, romance could be two people huddled under the same shop awning, sharing an umbrella that’s clearly too tiny for them both—or being stuck in traffic for so long they end up having a heart-to-heart.
For Indian singles, the rain might be doing what dating apps and carefully planned evenings sometimes fail to: making people slow down, stay longer and, perhaps, fall a little closer.
A survey of nearly 2,500 Indian singles by dating app happn, released on 29 July, found that 76 per cent of them crave companionship or miss having “their person” during the rainy season. And for 49 per cent, the weather appears to be stretching out dates—less rushing between plans, more talking, lingering and figuring out if there’s actually something there.
Then the classic monsoon twist: getting stuck together.
More than half of those surveyed, 54 per cent, said: “getting unexpectedly stuck together because of rain, traffic or extended indoor time creates genuine connection.”
And the rains may be fast-tracking relationships that started with far less ambition. That three-hour traffic jam you were cursing could be, in other words, the universe’s most inconvenient attempt at matchmaking.
Half of those surveyed said the monsoon had brought them closer to someone they were casually seeing. For 41 per cent, spending an entire rainy day together was the clearest sign that a relationship was getting serious. Another 24 per cent said you know things are getting real when you become the first person someone calls when it rains.
Apparently, the new relationship milestone is, “It’s raining. Where are you?’
And as the skies darken, the dating map appears to be shrinking too.
The top rainy-day date spot was a neighbourhood café for 44 per cent of respondents, while 26 per cent chose the privacy of someone’s home. A surprising 13 per cent even opted for co-working spaces. It seems during the monsoon, the line between “I have work” and “I want to spend time with you” can be pleasantly blurred.
The season seems to be lowering the bar for perfection too—at least when it comes to looks.
Rain is notorious for destroying carefully constructed looks. Hair frizzes, clothes stick, and makeup has a habit of giving up. But only 26 per cent consider monsoon messiness a dating dealbreaker. A further 26 per cent say the weather doesn’t affect attraction, while 19 per cent find the “just came in from the rain” look attractive
And even when rain spoils the date, what happens next still counts. According to 34 per cent of respondents, the biggest green flag was clear and timely communication when plans were disrupted. Another 21 per cent liked someone who quickly came up with a new plan.
The Happn’s survey suggests that India’s rainy season may be morphing into its unofficial cuffing season.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)