Dr Caroline West, Sex and Relationship Expert for Bumble Ireland, joined Drivetime to discuss why we're more open to romance in the summer. Listen back above.
Whether it's a few flirty dates, a true fling or something more stable, summer is the perfect time to surrender yourself to love – or just lust.
It's not just daters who feel this way: experts agree that summer brings out the romantic in people and tends to be the time we do the most dating.
"I think it's something to do with the sun, as well", West said. "I think as Irish people we're very sun-deprived for most of the year, so when it does finally come out it feels like we're on holiday. Everything feels a bit more exotic, a bit more fun."
Spontaneity is at an all-time high whenever the weather is on our side, so no wonder this spills over into our dating lives. As well as this, clear skies and warm temperatures mean there are more opportunities to spend time outdoors together, rather than holing up in a café or restaurant every time.
Traveling during the summer doesn't stop this. In fact, it plays a very important part in how we date. West said that single people are more open to what's called "wanderlove", a play on "wanderlust" or the strong desire to travel, and more likely to have relationships when they travel.
According to Bumble's research, one in three people are open to this, West said. "People are a bit more open-minded on holiday, more likely to decide to go jet-skiing, more likely to go out to a bar and see if there's anyone there that you like", she added, saying that she believes this is really healthy.
"You should have that open-mindedness anyway, let's not date inside our type. Let's explore who's out there beyond what we might think of on a little checklist."
"In the winter time we're a bit more limited but in summer time we can engage in sober dating, we can meet for a coffee at two o'clock and go for a walk around Stephen's Green, we can sit outside."
Sober dating is particularly helpful for those of us who don't feel comfortable always interacting over alcohol, or who prefer not to. "As a culture, we can be very dependent [on alcohol] and sometimes that might give us the rose-tinted glasses when it comes to alcohol and dates", West said.
She added that being sober can also help you engage deeper with your date and get to know them better, especially if they're someone you might not typically go for.
"Open-casting", where you're more open to meeting a wide variety of people in different locations, is its own dating phenomenon, West said. When asked whether doing so could be a recipe for disaster, West said, "I think it's important to explore what that means".
"We might grow up and think, it's always someone tall, dark and handsome that we like, but then maybe that hasn't worked out and maybe we're judging people too much on some initial qualities that look good on a list but humans are different in real life.
"It's all about going into it consciously and knowing what your boundaries are, what you want to get out of things. If you want that one night with the bad boy, happy days. Just make sure that you're both on the same page."
To listen back to the full interview, click above.
