Forget Candlelit Dinners – Singles are Falling In Love in Bookstores
Forget cocktails and candlelit Valentine’s dinners – singles are falling for something quieter.
As swipe fatigue grows and surface-level attraction loses its appeal, bookstores are emerging as an unexpected dating green flag – signaling depth, curiosity, and emotional intelligence. A recent study by the book summary app Headway found that 74% of people would happily go on a first date to a bookstore, while 3 in 4 say they’d swipe right faster if a dating profile photo showed someone reading.
The trend reflects a shift away from fast, disposable dating towards more meaningful connections. In the era dominated by fast dopamine fixes, people have begun appreciating long-lasting satisfaction even more. When it comes to books, one can choose whatever draws their attention. Not only professionally focused literature, but also books on topics you’re truly curious about. You get to see how someone thinks, what they’re drawn to, and how they talk about the things that matter to them.
Bookstores offer a unique insight into a potential match that goes beyond the bio on their dating app profile. After years of fast swiping and burnout, people are prioritizing emotional, mental, and intellectual compatibility.
When we come to a bookstore, we’ve made some decisions that can be interesting and interpreted differently by others. A book that we choose to read can tell about our mood that day or what we’re interested in during that period of our lives. And if we pick up a book that is totally outside the genre we usually choose, that opens up even more opportunities to share about different sides of ourselves. In this way, we lay the foundation for a possible acquaintance or even a meaningful connection.
For a successful bookstore date, keep it relaxed. Do not overthink it. Don’t worry about what a person might think of you if you choose a specific author. The main goal is to be yourself and keep it simple. You can pick a store with a seating area in it, wander, and look at the books together, and some books might spark a discussion or even bring back some memories.
Sometimes we might feel bored by all the typical conversations we had during our first dates, so choosing a new space with natural triggers for new conversations feels like a breath of fresh air.
When people are curious together, the connection follows naturally.
Written by Dr. Suzanne Degges-White, Ph.D., LCPC, NCC, a licensed counselor and relationship expert at Headway app