What to know
- Now Toronto played cupid by trying to set up two single students in the streets of downtown Toronto, but after an hour of approaching people, they had no luck because most women were already taken.
- Even though they didn’t find matches, the experience helped them step outside their comfort zones. Joao said it felt like “exposure therapy” for his social anxiety and realized approaching people IRL wasn’t as scary as he expected.
- A dating expert said Toronto’s dating culture has become too dependent on apps, making in-person interactions feel harder post-pandemic. She explained that meeting people in real life takes practice, confidence, and being okay with rejection.
Do you ever wish to have a meet-cute in the city and ditch the dating apps?
As much as putting yourself out there can be tough, it can help you build confidence and possibly meet “the one.”
So, Now Toronto decided to play cupid and create a love match in the streets of Toronto.
Read More
- Cuffed or just vibing? Torontonians and a dating expert share their take on intentional dating
- Too many options, too few matches: Has Toronto’s dating scene made settling down impossible?
- ‘You have to date yourself first,’ Torontonians are sharing how they solo date, and an expert shares tips
- ‘The apps are literally dead,’ This weekly dating event brings singles together in real life
Meet the singles
When Now Toronto approached two men to ask if one would be interested in finding a match, both turned out to be single and ready to mingle.
First up is Mateo, a Peruvian third-year student at Toronto Metropolitan University. He’s interested in sports, watching tennis, soccer, F1 and listening to music.
Alongside him is his friend, Joao, also a student visiting him from Miami. He likes reading, art, Latin music, anime and fashion.
Both men are friends from studying in high school together in Lima, Peru.
So who are these men? Joao describes his friend as an interesting man who will always take care of his partner.
“He’s honest, he’s very charismatic, he’s so funny. I would trust my life with him, always,” Mateo told Now Toronto.
Joao agreed he trusts Mateo with his life, too. “He’s also very trustful and very nice.”
What’s their dating experience like?
Mateo has just downloaded Hinge three weeks ago – and he already wants to swipe left on the app.
“The dating experience here in Toronto is not that good, especially for someone that is international. There’s a lot of barriers,” he told Now Toronto.
For Joao, he hasn’t been on a date since 2023. He’s been living life day-by-day and “messing around” on trips, he says, so he’s not too aware of Toronto’s dating scene.
On the hunt for a match
After learning more about the men and their types, Now Toronto was ready to find them a match. Who knows, they might find a pair of best friends and make this a spicy two-man.
We started walking near the Eaton Centre and talked to a few girls. Unfortunately, many of them were already in relationships.
Toronto, wasn’t the city in a loneliness epidemic and famous for its sh*tty dating scene? How is everyone suddenly finding significant others?
Later on, we reached the Financial District and there were barely any girls in sight, unfortunately.
So we went and took a break at Berczy Park, where Mateo tried to talk to this one girl. But as you can guess, taken – again.
Isn’t this supposed to be hot girl summer? Where are all the single women?
So we headed all the way near Wellesley and didn’t have much luck.
But finally, a group of three girls were interested – though they looked young, so before even choosing which two would be the perfect match, we asked their age.
Turns out, the girls were 16. This isn’t the Age of Attraction, so we left.
After one hour of trying to find the men a match, the search was unsuccessful.
Despite being disappointed by the failure, Joao stepped in and explained that to him, being able to overcome his social anxiety was success enough.
Dating takeaways
“I kinda feel like it was exposure therapy,” Joao told Now Toronto.
Joao joked that his therapist suggested he try to talk to people more to overcome his anxiety – and Now Toronto came at the perfect time.
Overall, he found it intimidating to approach others, but that it didn’t end up being so bad.
“Nothing bad happens at the end of the day,” Joao said.
For Mateo, this experience was eye opening and might change his way of dating in the city.
“I think it’s definitely hard to do this activity in Toronto. It’s kind of easier to do dating apps, but I would recommend doing this if you are walking around downtown,” he told Now Toronto.
What’s a dating expert’s take on this experience
Whether it’s a curated speed dating or singles event environment to literally walking in the streets, asking out someone IRL can definitely be intimidating. So, Toronto Dating Hub Founder and Dating Coach Andrea Lo shares her tips.
The first step: follow non-verbal cues to decide whether or not to initiate a move.
“Even simply making eye contact is a first step… Holding it for more than a second is already hard enough because most of the time we have that awkward looking away reflex,” she told Now Toronto.
She also recommends smiling.
“We’re gazing at each other, then smiling, because otherwise they’re like, ‘Why are you looking at me?’ she joked.”
But part of the reason dating in Toronto – or in general – is so hard, is because of the lack of social interaction since COVID. During the pandemic, there was little-to-no interaction, leaving many in a mindset of isolation that still lingers years later.
Now, there’s remote work and Uber Eats, making it easy for Torontonians to never need to leave the house. So, when they do, it’s harder to interact with other people.
Dating apps have also removed much of the in-person vulnerability and awkwardness that comes with meeting a cute stranger.
“Apps have definitely trained people to expect efficiency and instant chemistry. In real life, connection is often slower, messier, and more human,” Lo explained.
“We’re gonna make mistakes, we’re gonna fumble,” she joked.
But on apps, it’s harder to read energy and genuine intention, so in person meetings can sometimes be ideal to see true intent.
“What if they used ChatGPT to write them a very good sentence?” she questioned.
So, she recommends practicing holding eye contact and smiling to strangers whom there’s no romantic interest. That way, you’d be ready and confident to talk with someone you’re later interested in.
“You need all those different scenarios. You need to be rejected. It definitely helps people. Repetition, but also the rejection,” she said. “Just finding out like, ‘Wow, I didn’t die. The world didn’t end. I didn’t die of embarrassment,’” is already help enough to combat one’s social anxiety like Joao and grow into that confidence.
Got a dating story for us? We want to hear it! Send your experiences to news@nowtoronto.com for a chance to be featured in a future edition of This Is Dating Now.
