The 2023 Dating Trend Inspired By Casting Calls

It's Saturday night, and you're enjoying a drink with a friend at the newest bar in town. She's telling you about her dating life and the new guy she's seeing. She pulls out her phone to help you put a face to the stories, and the first thought that crosses your mind is that he looks a lot like her ex, whom she broke up with over six months ago. You brush the thought aside and continue listening. 

Even if your friend isn't aware that she has a type, researchers seem to think so. According to Frontiers in Psychology, we tend to be attracted to the same kind of people when choosing a mate. They're similar regarding "demographic, physical, and personality" traits. Perhaps this is why the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" rings true even today. Who we find attractive is influenced by our many life experiences, according to a 2015 study published in Current Biology.  

Physical attraction is a big part of the dating world. It's usually what sparks interest in the first place. If you've ever been on a dating app, you are probably familiar with the characteristics that you find appealing that make you want to swipe right. But according to Bumble's predictions about the future of dating, all of this will change in 2023. There's a new trend on the horizon.  

If you're familiar with theater lingo, you've probably heard the words "open casting call" or a variation of them before. It refers to a type of audition where the directors and producers of the show decide to open the trials to anyone who thinks they might be a good fit for the particular part, reports Backstage. Inspired by this casting call, open casting is the new dating trend to watch out for in 2023, according to the online dating site Bumble. 

The app's research which polled 14,300 Bumble users across the globe in October 2022, found that there's going to be a difference in what people are looking for in physical characteristics compared to 2022 and 2023. Bumble's website shared that around 38% of users "are now more open to dating beyond their typical physical type." Sexual health and pleasure advocate Charlotte Johnson speaking to Stylist shares a negative side to sticking to one type. "Sometimes this can create tunnel vision, meaning that you are potentially blocking out certain people to date with other attributes outside your type, which can be something you can learn to like," she explains. 

Bumble also observed that 28% of those surveyed aren't as worried about "dating the type of person that others expect." 

The Bumble survey found that many of those polled are optimistic about love in 2023 and shared that around 63% of users prefer emotional maturity over appearance. As reported by Stylist, dating expert Samantha Rowland-Jones shares that being open-minded in the dating world can do a lot for you. "Remind yourself there is so much more to a successful partnership than physical attraction, and carefully read what they have to say to find out if you share those all-important values, interests, and lifestyle that suggest compatibility," she advises. 

Focusing on something more than the looks you generally find appealing might let you find someone with whom you have better chemistry and who can have more meaningful conversations, according to sexpert and podcaster Dr. Caroline West (via Evoke).

You likely have your own experience (or that of a friend) to know that going for a specific type turned out to be a big dating mistake. So, maybe it's time to jump on the open casting bandwagon. The trend might inspire you to find better connections in the new year.