even went as far as to say that 2025 was one of the most emotionally unproductive periods for singles in recent memory.

It’s a claim backed by the numbers with global dating data showing nearly half of single adults say they are actively looking for a long-term relationship, yet fewer are successfully forming one, despite record use of dating apps.

Instead of romance, many found themselves trapped in cycles of ‘situationships’, endless swiping and emotional detachment.

Dating, once driven by curiosity and optimism, has increasingly felt transactional, exhausting and disposable.

According to Louanne, the issue isn’t bad luck or a lack of options, but a set of shared behaviours that are quietly sabotaging connection before it’s had a chance to take hold.

And while many have blamed the apps, she believes the real problem runs far deeper.

‘It’s almost like the game changed in slow motion,’ Louanne reflected on a year marked by emotional unavailability, burnout, avoidance and the unforgivable ‘ick.’

‘People think it’s about finding the right person, but often it’s about becoming the person who can sustain a healthy connection.’

Across Australia and beyond, dating app fatigue has been widely discussed, with recent surveys confirming that upwards of 78 per cent of Gen Z and millennials report feeling exhausted by endless swiping, scrolling and ghosting.

Louanne said this underpins one of the biggest pitfalls she saw – when dating stops feeling like potential and starts feeling like an obligation.

That burnout, she explains, doesn’t just kill enthusiasm, it kills emotional availability too.

It wasn’t just the apps that tripped people up, according to Louanne. One of the most insidious trends she spotted was hypersensitivity, where small missteps get blown up into deal-breakers, and every emotional misfire is taken as proof that ‘they’re not the one.’

In a culture where people are trained to scan for flaws, tiny quirks and harmless behaviours have become magnified until what could have been a connection becomes a reason to quit.

That dynamic, Louanne said, has been fuelled by some of the very same social media and app culture that promised authentic connection but most often delivers comparison and insecurity instead.

And then there’s the classic confusion of chemistry vs compatibility – a rush of spark over substance that Louanne believes is one of the most common derailers of long-term potential.

While the intoxicating buzz of early chemistry is real, she explained, it’s often a smoke screen that obscures shared values, life goals and emotional alignment.

This mixing of signal with noise has only been exacerbated by the way dating apps are designed, favouring quick attractiveness over slow-burn compatibility.

Another pattern Louanne flagged was the normalisation of situationships and ambiguous ‘undefined’ connections.

With casual arrangements dominating Gen Z’s romantic landscape, and with many young people almost twice as likely to be single or casually dating compared to older generations, the lack of clear commitment became a default that kept potential relationships in limbo.

These undefined connections, Louanne argues, often protect us from vulnerability but also keep us from ever truly meeting someone.

Perhaps most tellingly, she pointed to a shift in how people approached dating.

Instead of exploration, many began with a mindset of judgment and past-life analysis, scrolling through someone’s digital history looking for reasons to disqualify rather than discovering reasons to connect.

This tendency to scan for red flags, in her eyes, replaced curiosity, and while healthy boundaries matter, she warned that seeing every difference as a deal-breaker has left many singles without the chance to grow alongside another person.

‘None of this is about failure,’ Louanne said, reminding her followers that recognising where you’ve faltered is also recognising your next step forward.

After all, knowing what not to do is half the battle.

The other half, she finished, is leaning into discomfort, challenging superficial checklists, and being brave enough to show up with intention rather than defence.