In the past, couples usually met in bars, with those flirty glances eventually blossoming into blossoming romances. Others may have been set up by friends who played Cupid.
Today, however, singles have hit the love jackpot swiping through a conveyor belt of strangers’ faces on dating apps.
A mesmerizing chart today shows how the likes of Tinder and Hinge have destroyed the traditional ways lovers met.
In the early 1960s, more than a third of couples originally met through friends.
Another 28 percent were introduced by family members.
At the end of 2010, online dating took first place, according to research by social scientists at Stanford University.
Since this decade, Internet dating has completely eclipsed all other methods and is responsible for 59 percent of all relationships.
Dating guru Kate Mansfield, who calls herself Britain’s best relationship coach, said the low-pressure ‘super convenient’ online dating environment has made it so popular among today’s singles.
She said, “You can swipe from your couch in your pajamas. It opens up so many more possibilities than just the local bar.
‘Online meetings take away some of the awkwardness of face-to-face introductions. You can have a chat and get to know each other a bit before you dive in.’
Ms Mansfield said app algorithms, which connect potential lovers based on their interests, could help you find a better match.
She added: ‘You can meet people you would never otherwise meet, which is great.’
Although the seemingly limitless options can be “overwhelming,” Ms. Mansfield says.
The survey asked about 3,000 American couples how and when they met their partners.
In the 1960s, 20 percent met through school and 17 percent in a bar or restaurant.
The total for a given period may exceed 100 percent because some people answered yes to more than one option. For example, they may have met through family and friends.
Meetings through friends remained firmly in first place until the early 1980s, when colleagues replaced it.
Friends regained the top spot starting in the late 80s, when workplace romances quickly fell out of fashion.
As of the 2020s, only 7 percent of relationships start in the break room.
Online dating came into the picture in the 2000s. Between 2000 and 2004, about 12 percent of couples met online. This was the era of early online dating services like Match and Plenty of Fish.
But this figure grew every five-year period.
Between 2005 and 2010, more than 16 percent of couples met online, compared to 29 percent through friends.
In the early 2010s – when apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble were released – online dating rose to second place.
Twenty-one percent met through an online dating service, compared to 26 percent through friends.
The Internet romance revolution was complete by the second half of the decade, when a third of couples met online for the first time.
Between 2020 and 2022, 59 percent of couples met online, with friends plummeting to fourth place at 15 percent.
Dating apps have eradicated traditional methods of meeting romantic partners over the past decade (stock photo)
Mrs Mansfield told MailOnline: ‘We used to go around in smaller groups, but now we have a mix of friends, acquaintances and online connections.
“It’s as if our social networks have exploded.”
According to Ms Mansfield, this means it is less common to turn friends into lovers as people don’t know their ever-growing friends list.
Asking a stranger out is also less likely to lead to an awkward situation, she added.
She said: ‘Many people prefer to find a partner themselves. It can feel less awkward than being tricked by a friend, especially if all else fails.”