When it comes to dating, do you really know what you’re up against? There are two things that can happen if you don’t. Either you lose out on a lot of opportunities because you were too pessimistic or you’ll come crashing down to Earth with disappointment because you were too optimistic.

This is why it’s important that you gather as much information as you can. Checking out dating statistics can help you understand what you’re up against.

72% of single adults would consider living together with their partner without marrying first

Gone are the days when you marry someone before you livie together. Today, a lot of people don’t want to waste their time and effort into marrying, only to get divorced later on. Of course, a lot of these people consider getting married later on, treating the living together stage as a trial run.

Men are more vulnerable to falling in love at first sight than women (54% & 44%)

Unfortunately for us guys, this means that we base falling in love more on looks than women do. Women tend to base falling in love on things like your ability to provide, the impact of your job on her life and your mental and physical stability. In short, women look out for themselves, now and in the future.

5% of adult singles were in a long-term relationship

This statistic is depressing if you’re looking for a long-term relationship. You have to hope for the best and expect the worst. Of course, you have to work hard to make it work. However, you also have to take into consideration the possibility that a lot of these people chose to be in a short-term relationship, pulling down the statistic.

35% of American singles started their long-term relationship with a one-night stand

Gone are the days of the “Wham! Bam! Thank you, Ma’am!” Hollywood has done a great job of painting this reality. You can start a long-term relationship with a one-night stand. Whatever happened to leaving before she wakes up, never to call her again?

44% of the adult population in the U.S. is single

This is hard to believe if you’ve been having difficulty looking for a potential partner. There’s a good chance, if you haven’t found ‘the one’, you’re looking at the wrong places. This is especially true if you’re a man since…

• On average, there are 86 single men for every 100 single women in the U.S.
• It is statistically impossible for a man to never find a single woman. That woman liking you is another question. If you aren’t finding single women, you’re looking at the wrong places…like bars. Speaking of bars…
• Only 2% of men found their partner in a bar – a lot of women who go to bars are already committed and/or they’re not looking for a potential partner in a bar
• Online dating is now a $1.9 billion a year industry with over 40 million Americans using online dating sites

Take advantage of what you learned today and take the necessary measures to either work with these statistics or work on negating them.