Life expectancy in 1840 was 35
Life expectancy in 1840 was only about 35 years, meaning the modern expectation of a lifelong romantic partnership is a very recent invention.
Snapshot · SOLVED with Mark Manson
Dating, Solved: Why Finding the Right Person Feels So Hard
Explore episode
Feb 4, 2026
Where this was said
The Modern Dating Crisis: Statistics and Structural Causes
At 1:43:38 · chapter starts 1:00:48
Drew takes the wheel for a data-heavy segment that makes the scale of the problem visceral. 42% of US adults are currently unpartnered — an all-time high. [1] — Drew "42% of US adults unpartnered: 42% of US adults are currently unpartnered, an all-time high, reflecting what researchers call a 'romantic re…" 1:44:09 Weekly sexual activity has fallen from 55% of adults in 1990 to 37% in 2024. 31% of men aged 18-24 report zero sexual activity in the past year, more than double the rate from the early 2000s. 25% of Americans reach 40 having never married. The average date costs $168, with Gen Z spending closer to $200 despite having less money. 71% of Democrats say they'd reject a Trump supporter as a date; 47% of Republicans say the same about Biden/Clinton voters. The causes are structural: dating apps designed to keep users addicted rather than matched, the erosion of third places, a culture of ghosting and breadcrumbing, and the 4B movement in South Korea where women are forgoing dating entirely. But Drew is cautiously optimistic: run clubs explicitly for singles, curated age-gated social events, and app innovations like Thursday (messaging only on Thursdays) suggest people are experimenting with solutions.
42% of US adults unpartnered
42% of US adults are currently unpartnered, an all-time high, reflecting what researchers call a 'romantic recession.'
The Modern Dating Crisis in Numbers
42% of US adults are unpartnered — an all-time high. Weekly sex has fallen from 55% of adults in 1990 to 37% in 2024. And 31% of men aged 18-24 report zero sexual activity in the past year, more than double the rate from the early 2000s. This isn't a vibe — it's a measurable collapse in romantic connection.
25% of Americans reach 40 never married
25% of Americans now reach age 40 having never been married — an all-time high, up 5 percentage points in less than 10 years.
Weekly sex down from 55% to 37%
Weekly sexual activity among US adults dropped from 55% in 1990 to 37% in 2024, a dramatic decline across all age groups.
Young male sexlessness doubled
About 31% of men aged 18-24 reported zero sexual activity in the past year as of 2024, more than double the ~15-16% recorded in the early 2000s.
Average date costs $168
Survey data shows the average date now costs $168, with Gen Z spending closer to $200 despite having less money.
Burnout from dating: saving ~$4,000/year by quitting
Some people have calculated they save approximately $4,000 a year by opting out of dating entirely, given that the average annual spend on dating exceeds $2,000.
71% of Democrats reject Trump supporters
71% of Democrats say they would reject a Trump supporter as a potential date, versus 47% of Republicans who would reject a Biden/Clinton voter.
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