Over 40 doesn’t mean over the hill
Being over 40 certainly doesn’t mean you’re over the hill and, in fact, it can work to your advantage due to the broader experience you probably have when compared to younger age groups. Past relationships and general life-experiences can actually mean that you are an attractive proposition in your own right. It’s also worth remembering that this attractiveness doesn’t have to be limited to people in your own age bracket, either; you might be surprised to find out that you may get a lot of interest from younger people who may feel that they want to spend time with someone more experienced in the ways of the world, so don’t count out the option of getting involved in what is sometimes called a ‘May-December’ relationship.
We wanted to have a look at some tips for the forty-year old plus daters to help you think about current dating trends that may help you in your search for a partner. Many dating sites do not exclude older daters and it can just simply be an option when setting-up your profile information of choosing the age group you fall into. However, there are also plenty of sites out there that cater for people in the older age groups and we wanted to take a look at some of the best options available at the moment and come up with some recommendations, too.
Some ideas about finding singles when you are over 40
For whatever reason you may find yourself looking for love in your more mature years, whether it be divorce, loss of a partner or simply the desire to finally settle down, there are a few things you should think about. The first thing you need to be aware of is that the ‘dating game’ in 2021 is not what it used to be in the past, even the recent past! The days of hooking-up through embarrassing events such as singles’ nights or, God forbid, the dreaded speed dating thing are long gone. Now pretty much everyone is online and it is the way the dating scene is going and will certainly continue to go forever.
The reasons for the growing popularity of dating sites are often debated but looking at it in simple terms, can be put down to two main factors: the first is the fact that this is a time-efficient way of looking for love in the busy twenty-first century where people’s every minute is of a premium. The second reason, although maybe a little brutal sounding, is that it is a far surer way of getting a result. Whereas chasing a potential suitor in some random meeting like in a public place, or even in the workplace may lead to a dating situation, it is far from guaranteed. Unrequited advances may lead to embarrassment on both sides and could even make you come across as some kind of stalker. However, people go on dating sites to find dates and that should be somewhat of a comfort to you.
Adapting to this idea may take a little getting used to but if you go with the flow and approach this with common sense and caution, you may well be surprised how easy and how much fun it is. A few key things to remember are:
- Spend some time setting-up your online profile with some well-thought out information about yourself that highlights the best of you – but remember to keep it accurate and honest to save yourself from any misunderstandings when you get to meet that date for the first time.
- Don’t rush in and be fooled too easily as not everyone is always what they seem. Look after your confidential and sensitive personal information in the early stages, especially when it’s related to money matters.
- Be confident and outgoing and remember that not all contacts lead to a date and that not all first dates lead to anything more. You will probably need to put some effort in before you find someone you really click with.
For some more information on this topic have a look at this article about online dating safety advice and two others about negative trends and dangers.
Recommended sites
Here are some sites catering to the mature online dating market that we feel are worth a mention:
Hugely popular all over the globe, this site has a key feature that is particularly suited to the over-forties: when you sign-up, you are asked to undertake a personality test with questions across a spectrum of topics that are then analysed and used to create some very reliable matches. It can provide 3 to 7 recommendations per day depending on how you set it up and this has proved to be extremely popular with the target age group, many of whom don’t want or have the time to be presented with an overwhelming number of options.
This site is super-popular with the over 40’s and claims to have over 4 million members in that age range. It has a worldwide presence and is free to start with, allowing you pay for any of the premium features you wish to add. Its uniqueness is in the way it monitors your interactions and the likes you give to other members, helping to build-up a knowledge of the kind of contacts you are looking for while also using your on-site interactions to suggest people you may not have actively thought of contacting.
While this site doesn’t concentrate per-se on the mature online dater, there is still a large active membership of this group. This one is a particular favourite with the ladies as its unique feature is that it requires the women users to send the first message, and then requires a male user to respond within 24 hours. If they do not, the potential connection is lost. This is a nice safety feature that allows the women members to take a bit more control of their interactions.
This site is a true veteran of the online dating scene, and while it’s popular with all age groups, it’s a favourite of the over 40’s because it’s profile building questionnaire delves into deeper areas such as people’s beliefs, emotional make-ups and aspirations. It sets up ‘happy couple’ recommendations aimed at building meaningful relationships and, as such, is not suited to the more frivolous, short-term connections that younger people may be looking for.
This site and app are both free and extremely popular with a large membership who tend to be a little younger than the other sites we have been recommending. So why are we recommending it here? Well, going back to what we talked about at the beginning of the article, this is one for the men because it’s one of the best dating sites for singles over forty looking to meet younger women who tend to be in their late twenties or early thirties, although more mature ladies are also present in lesser numbers.
As one of the biggest players in the world of online dating, Match has a global presence that competitors can only be jealous of. Over 50% of their membership is in the 39 – 50 age range, meaning that it has a huge choice of potential partners for daters in this market. Women are equally well represented as men here, so there are literally millions of beautiful mature ladies looking for the right date. As a result, competition can be fierce within local areas, which means users need to keep their profiles and pictures neat and up-to-date, making it a very exciting online dating experience.
The last in our current recommendation list, but certainly not the least, this one aims for an even more mature group of online daters with the target audience being the over-fifties. While it was only launched last year, it already has a core membership of over 350,000 users and the focus here is on high quality interactions for mature daters who don’t want to waste their time. Profiles need to be well presented with at least three verified pictures. Additionally, the first introductory messages sent to other members are required to be at least 50 words long, making sure the content is informative and accurate. This is certainly a site to keep an eye on for the future as this is a market that will surely see rapid growth.
We hope our tips and recommendations have been of interest and useful in your online dating experience. Don’t forget to keep us book-marked and come back and check out our constantly updated reviews. Happy dating!
