Does Speed Dating Overseas Actually Work?

Everyone wants to experience love, but not everyone has the time to.

A day is divided into 24 hours. Nine of them are devoted to work, and the remaining eight – for those of you who are fortunate enough – are devoted to sleep. That leaves us with seven hours of leisure time, excluding time spent doing any possible chores and time spent traveling to and from work.

Since we have so much to accomplish and so little spare time to enjoy everyday, the majority of us don’t have the luxury or chance to meet and go on dates.

But what if we told you that there is a method for you to meet a lot of potential partners in a short period of time? However, there is a catch.

Imagine this...

“What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?”

This lovely lady in front of you asks, and your mind quickly goes through all of the activities you enjoy doing in your leisure time: golfing, hiking. Then there’s also the good old movie watching, but you also cook.

Is it fine for you to tell her all of this? Or should you simply choose the one that makes you more seductive and attractive? Which is it, then?

You stare at her, trying to figure out what she likes to do in her spare time. All for the sake of making a connection. But before you even have an idea, the bell sounds, and your turn comes to an end.

Before you could say goodbye, she was gone, and another woman came in, asking the same question, and cycle repeats on and on.

Dissatisfied and confused, you wonder: “Will I be able to have something close to a good conversation before the timer cuts me off? How am I meant to get along with somebody like this?”

Speed dating

The way most of these events function is that numerous daters take turns talking to each other and seeing if they click. Each pair is normally allowed three to eight minutes before the timer rings and they must move on to another individual.

After that, daters submit the name (or names) of whoever has piqued their interest. Then they’d be told later whether or not they had identified a match.

It’s the same principle as any online dating app, only that speed dating allows you to meet in person. And thanks to this human engagement, you may also verify that the person you’re speaking with is a genuine person and not a machine or worse, a catfish.

It’s all about optimizing efficiency and security for people who are too preoccupied with life (and job) to look for love.

However, just like online dating, which offers us a broader dating pool at the risk of being deceived by catfishers, speed dating also has its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros: What makes speed dating good

1. It’s one of the quickest methods to meet new people. This dating service allows you to meet five or more people in one night. Despite the limited time you have with each of them, this event allows you to meet with more potential mates in a day than you normally could in a month.

2. It’s also the most secure option. Speed dating companies frequently do background checks on participants to ensure that they are not admitting someone who may be dangerous. You’ll be seeing them in person with a large group of other daters, so there won’t be much opportunity for misbehavior.

3. People have very little time to pretend. That bashful person? That stuttering mess? Sure, those aren’t exactly the most attractive qualities. However, they are preferable to people who flaunt and lie in order to appear to be the perfect fit.

4. Removes the awkward atmosphere. If you have a second date with someone from this event, you won’t have to worry about being uncomfortable with them. Because you’ve already spent time in this unconventional dating experience, you’ll find it rather easy to converse with each other afterwards.

5. It’s effective. You have a few daters who talk and meet you in person rather than simply through chatting. With this amount of time, you can already assess whether or not someone is worth giving another opportunity. You get to meet as many potential matches as possible in one night.

Cons: What makes speed dating bad

1. Prospects cannot be filtered. While, in a way, it is better than dating online, it does not come without drawbacks.

Because you’re going to the event without knowing anyone, you can’t pick who you’ll be chatting with throughout. You can’t pick and choose who you talk to based on your preferences.

2. It takes more than five minutes to get to know someone. When it comes to speed dating, this is arguably the largest drawback. While the restricted time allows you to meet as many individuals as possible, you can’t really get to know someone that well in such a short period of time.

Since we’re talking about dating overseas, there’s also the problem of how to maximize the given time limit. Unlike online sites or any regular person to person dates, the time limit in speed dating doesn’t give you enough time to struggle between reading the lines of broken English or the other language.

But will it provide you with satisfactory results?

For the most part, speed dating revolves upon your first attraction to a person and deciding whether or not you want to get to know them further.

Speed daters, on average, make at least three matches from these speed dating events. It now rests on their own effort to make things work and see if it leads to a successful relationship.

Online dating sites have helped some people find love. Some people discover love on blind dates. Some people even discover theirs while clubbing or attending parties. Really, it all depends on your speed.