A 26-year-old man has sparked debate on Reddit after describing his struggles with dating. In a post to r/GenZ, he called dating “the most miserable thing in the world” and questioned whether Gen Z women still wanted relationships.
The poster said he had spent years using dating apps, approaching women in person and building friendships. Despite his efforts, he said he had secured only two dates through several years on Hinge, Tinder and Bumble. His post drew 704 upvotes and 372 comments at the time of publication.
Reddit Users Debate Why Dating Feels So Difficult for Gen Z
The original poster said he received 25 to 30 matches across dating apps, but only eight to 10 women actually spoke with him. He said two conversations led to dates, and neither relationship progressed. He also described one woman who allegedly ordered food, asked him to pay, took leftovers and gave him a fake phone number. He asked whether Gen Z women had lost interest in dating, sex or relationships.
One highly upvoted response argued that dating apps created an overwhelming illusion of choice. “I think girls and women are interested in dating and relationships but dating apps create both an illusion of infinite choice and some intimidating prospects of interacting with so many interested men, which can overwhelm them,” one user wrote. Another commenter described the experience as stressful, writing, “It just gamifies dating and removes the whole human aspect of it.”
Other commenters focused on how dating apps affected users’ confidence. One man wrote, “Dating apps humbled me big time. I was pretty confident in myself until I tried the apps and got almost no likes or matches.” He added that he had regained his confidence since then. Another user argued that women also faced unpleasant experiences on the apps, writing, “Tons of girls hate dating apps because it’s like getting harassed through the internet.”
Height became another point of contention after a commenter suggested the poster’s height might hurt his chances. The original poster said he stood 5 feet 4 inches tall and maintained an active lifestyle. A woman pushed back against the criticism, writing, “I am a woman and have had many friends who are gorgeous and dated men who were shorter than them.” She argued that kindness, humor and respect mattered more than height for many women.
The discussion also exposed disagreements about what women wanted from potential partners. One commenter wrote, “We want to date men, not little boys.” She listed insecurity, controlling behavior and limited interests among her concerns. Other users discussed how men and women could approach friendship differently before expressing romantic interest, showing how dating frustrations extended beyond appearance or match counts.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the experiences described by the Reddit users. The details above reflect the original post and comments shared in r/GenZ.
