Hacks to look for love online in times of confinement

Valentine's Day is coming, and this year you're stuck at home. February's going to find you in lockdown for sure... but hopefully not alone. Whether you're looking for extended household groups, Glovos coworkers from 6 pm to 6 am, or just a weekend fling, we're sharing tips for finding love online during lockdown.

Plenty of fish in the sea… and plenty of apps to catch them on.

It's cool to keep clicking on the typical apps like Badoo, Tinder, Grindr… but if you're already over your go-to app, the first thing we'll do is encourage you to delete them and try your luck with others.

Like natural selection, our mega-study (of 5 colleagues plus the goalkeeper we asked) shows that Each app is successful with a specific audience and function. And while some catch nothing more than a cold, others are more successful than Rosalía. Not because we've tried them all, but that's what they tell us:

• That Tinder is still killing it And especially if you're traveling somewhere... I mean, right now it's not a big deal and you're already seeing the same faces everywhere.

• Happn, which was designed for hooking up with people you pass by. It's become the neighborhood's hookup spot, so it's gaining points during lockdown.

• She's also starting to throw one called Sapio where they force you to share your interests before matching... if you're into getting to know someone on a deeper level.

• Meetic, Match, Hinge, Okcupid, Parship.es, e-darling… you get the idea, right?

Before casting the line…

To manage expectations before taking action, you should keep two things in mind:

• It's not about me, it's about you. About 50% of people say they're online out of boredom, for fun, or just to see what's going on, but they don't actually want to meet up. It's perfectly normal to only end up having a real conversation with 1-8 people out of every 100 you try to talk to (this varies depending on the app, your blood alcohol level, the time of night, and so on). But hey, don't worry about it, it's not about you. That's just how the game works.

• First impressions still matter… a lot. Improve your profile.Be direct and clear about what you're looking for. This will attract people who are looking for the same thing as you, and everyone will be happier. Along those lines, use your best profile picture; first impressions count. You know, with our Handsomefyer You'll appear looking great, without any Instagram filters. 😜

Tips on good manners in apps

Let's say you know what you want, you've put a lot of work into your profile, and you're in chat mode. Okay, so the next step is some basic digital flirting (let's see how many you follow consciously or unconsciously):

1. Never try to have the last word. It ends always with a question or statement that prompts a response. If you create a dead end… it's unlikely things will move forward… so make it easy for the person on the other end.

2. Invite action. The goal is to move from online conversation to action outside the app. A subtle way to do this is to propose mini-challenges like 'if you guess what I do for a living… I'll buy you a drink'.

3. Teasing and joking around opens doors and legs. Humor and good vibes go a long way. Practice it whenever you can and you'll see that the number of 'hahahaha's in conversations is directly related to how well the topic is flowing and how close you are to getting lucky.

4. Add GIFs and emojis. In writing it's hard to know if you're joking, if you're serious... and gifs and photos are the closest thing to expressing tone of voice online.

5. Tell me how it feels to twerk with you. While it might be tempting to talk about work, what you do on weekends, or where you've traveled, what really hooks you is conveying what it would be like for the other person to spend time with you. Sharing or negotiating the perfect plan makes it much more appealing to both of you!

6. Positive language always…we all have bad days, and you know how much baggage the person you're talking to is carrying. If they attack you or say nasty things… take a deep breath, swallow your pride, be nice, and that's it…

Come on, I've already got a feeling with someone... now what?

So get off the app as soon as you can and... STAY! That was the whole point of this mess!

Apps are an endless catalog that invites you to always be looking (that's what they're made for), so... if you feel there's a connection with someone... quickly switch to phone, WhatsApp or meet up directly (whichever you feel most comfortable with).

And having a 'neutral' go-to spot is always great. For that first 'let's grab a drink,' it's good to go straight to your trusted bar that you know is close enough that you don't mind changing out of your tracksuit, but far enough away that you won't be followed home. If you go there often, the bartenders might even become your allies because they understand these kinds of situations.

Happy-power closing

You'll get lucky maybe once in a thousand, you'll end up with guys who lied to you, you'll have terrible sex, and your finger will be raw for hours... but embrace all those moments because they're awesome. Online (and offline) flirting is the source of the best anecdotes and shared experiences with friends, the kind that make your stomach hurt from laughing so hard when you remember them.

Whether it's looking for the love of your life, a quickie, a wank, or an entertaining conversation with someone new, it's all experience points, adding to your life bar, and you have to enjoy it sip by sip.

Be happy in the process and twerk as much as you can (and want to)

We do cool, right!

Siwon