Successful dating is done on a bike
So I'm still all alone. But don't worry, I actually think that's totally okay. Of course, there’s some jealousy that comes up sometimes when I hear Lil talk about her brand new little palace that she just bought with her love or when Kiek gets on a plane again with her Sander. But hey, my time will come. When I get a bit more enthusiastic about it, dating sorry not sorry, but I'm quite uh bad at it. I don't like it. First of all, I have a sort of love-hate relationship with all the dating apps on my phone (don’t worry again, there are only two). And secondly, I find it dating just the most awkward activity.
Yet there is hope. Are you, like me, not really team dating but still want to catch that nice guy? Then you'll have to get your lazy butt off the couch. Research shows that an active bike ride through nature is the way to increase the success of a date. Consumatics, a research company that visualizes unconscious consumer behavior, analyzed various scientific studies on behalf of Gazelle and has come to that conclusion. Researcher Wenda Linthorst confirms that you should not be sitting across from each other, or even worse, next to each other, eating a healthy sandwich during your first date. “When you look someone straight in the eyes, we are less able to express ourselves. The brain has to perform two different tasks in the same area of the brain. As a result, the conversation gets off to a slow start. On a bike, we don’t have that problem. The conversations are much better. And if there is a moment of silence, it feels natural.”
Cycling increases our heart rate. But our brain is not good at distinguishing the reasons why our heart rate goes up. If you have more excitement in your body, you automatically relate that to the person around you. As a result, you experience them as more positive. So don’t just ride in circles in Vondelpark or weave through tourists in the nine streets. Ride out of the city and look for hills. This way, your brain doesn’t know if your heart is racing because of cycling or because of your date. Do you feel butterflies or is it your poor condition? Cycling together increases the chance of a successful date.
Besides the fact that your heart rate goes up, your self-confidence also increases when you move. And that just happens to be the key to a successful date. Self-confidence makes us a lot more attractive than when we sit there biting our nails and sweating profusely on that bar stool. “You also have to dare to open yourself up to another,” says Linthorst. She points out that people can best choose a ride through nature. “Then there is more focus on being together and not on the surroundings. When you experience peace with all your senses, you feel more at ease.”
Could this be the last hope? I believe I’ll just go ahead and oil my chain and bring out my swiping skills again. You’ll hear from me. Bye bye.
