Today may be one of the scariest Sundays of them all—the Sunday Scaries final boss, if you will. The last day of the liminal post-Christmas vortex, the first Sunday of the year is dread itself. It’s the gateway to hell: the last, ungodly hours that separate us from the harsh return to reality that awaits tomorrow.
For daters, however, today might actually be one of the best days of the year. In the last decade or so since dating apps went mainstream, the first Sunday of the year has become known as “Dating Sunday,” with data showing a significant increase in dating app downloads and activity on the apps this day each year.
“Since Dating Sunday was first identified, it’s become cemented as a cultural moment in modern dating,” says Michael Kaye, director of brand marketing and communications at OkCupid. “The first Sunday of January continues to deliver high engagement across dating platforms, driven by singles embracing fresh starts, renewed intentions, and a willingness to put themselves back out there.”
While many of us have become all too familiar with the cycle of deleting and redownloading the apps, Kaye notes that Dating Sunday isn’t about a return to mindless boredom swiping. Rather, it’s “a universal moment of reflection and reset” when daters are ready to enter a new chapter with clarity, optimism, and intention.
“The start of a new year is when people think about what’s worked, what didn’t, and what they want more of—and for many singles, that reflection naturally extends to their dating lives,” says Kaye. “Daters are ready to turn the page, put themselves back out there, and be more intentional about the connections they make.”
In addition to ushering hordes of new daters into the dating pool, Dating Sunday also sets the tone for the year in dating ahead, reflecting the trends, goals, and mindsets daters are bringing to their love lives this year. Below are some of the top 2026 trends experts expect to see as we kick off the New Year in dating this weekend.
1. Effort and Intention
“We’re seeing a clear shift toward more intentional dating this Dating Sunday,” says Kaye. “Singles are approaching relationships with the same thoughtfulness and purpose they bring to their careers, prioritizing depth, alignment, and emotional compatibility over surface-level checklists.”
“People are looking for someone who is intentional and puts in effort, a match who makes a plan and follows through,” adds Logan Ury, Hinge’s Lead Relationship Scientist. Per Hinge data, 72 percent of women on the app cited effort as top quality they’re looking for in a potential partner, reflecting a broader trend of daters “seeking relationships that feel more intentional, consistent, and emotionally engaged,” says Ury.
2. Less Pressure, More Connection
But while daters may be looking for more intention, that doesn’t mean they’re seeking a high-pressure dating experience. According to Kaye, younger singles, in particular, are leading a shift toward lower-pressure dating: “Instead of chasing high-effort or high-cost experiences, they’re prioritizing connection over performance and gravitating toward lower-pressure ways to meet—like coffee dates or casual hangs—that make it easier to be authentic and see if there’s real chemistry.” Kaye adds that this shift “isn’t about lowering standards, but changing them. Daters are signaling that thoughtfulness, self-awareness, and intentionality are what make someone attractive.”
3. Clarity
“More people are being upfront about what they’re looking for,” says Ury, noting that Hinge daters are using the app’s “Intention” feature to set and communicate their goals to potential matches. “According to our research, daters are craving more meaningful connections. That’s why we’re seeing a move toward clearer communication and visible effort. Daters want to know where someone stands and build something that actually goes somewhere.”
4. Emotional Intimacy
“Across dating apps, there’s a growing desire to move beyond snap judgments based solely on photos and toward a more holistic sense of who someone really is,” says Kaye. “Daters are prioritizing compatibility, shared values, and emotional alignment over surface-level attraction, a shift that’s especially pronounced among Gen Z.”
Ury also cites a “growing desire for deeper connection” among daters, predicting that dating in 2026 will be a year of “more emotional intimacy and less surface-level interaction.”
So if prioritizing your love life is among your resolutions this year, today is literally the day to get back on the apps. Happy swiping!
