• 1 in 3 singles considers it important to meet someone who shares their political values

• 22% see living apart as an ideal for a couple

• 64% oppose the use of AI in dating and relationships

• Nearly 2 in 3 singles have shared everyday activities before becoming a couple

Based on monitoring and analysis work, followed by a survey of more than 18,000 users in 12 countries, these trends express a common desire: less staging, more spontaneity, and more freedom to be yourself. Grocery shopping with your Crush, protecting your independence, preferring a spontaneous message to an AI-generated declaration: welcome to an era where compatibility, values and listening matter as much as physical attraction. A new way of approaching love, without giving up being yourself.

Practical Love: dating like a couple before being a couple

What if doing the grocery shopping together said more than a candlelit dinner? In 2027, singles are bringing everyday life into the first moments of a relationship. 62% have already shared ordinary activities before being a couple*: cooking, working remotely side by side, or assembling furniture reveal how the other person makes decisions, reacts to the unexpected, or shares a silence. These new kinds of dates offer a glimpse of life together, and 44% of singles see them as the best way to test their compatibility. And what if intimacy began with the thorny question of who does the cooking and who does the dishes?

AI Fatigue: the charm of the imperfect message

Fed up with AI? In 2027, French singles want to recognize a human being in the messages they receive. 64% say they are opposed to the use of AI in dating and relationships: behind an opening line, they want to find a personality and a sense of humor. Even when customizable, generated messages fuel a fear of standardized conversations and reveal little about the person sending them. 61% of singles believe AI makes dating too superficial. Remembering a detail or picking up on a previous conversation therefore becomes more valuable. Next year, singles are embracing a slightly clumsy sentence, which can be charming because it lets a real personality show through behind the phone.

D.I.Y Dating: being single is not a waiting room

The D.I.Y Dating trend, short for “Do It Yourself Dating,” invites singles to put themselves back at the center of their lives: identifying what they want and living the experiences they enjoy, without waiting for a +1.

Trying a restaurant solo, taking a trip with friends, seeing a play nobody else wants to see: singles seem increasingly unwilling to wait until they’re in a relationship to start certain experiences. And this autonomy sometimes carries over into couplehood: 22% of singles consider living separately an ideal. Love thus finds its place between two lives that are already built, with room for each person.

(Un)performative Sex: proving less to feel more

After years of sex positivity and messaging encouraging everyone to better know their body, desires and limits, a new fatigue is emerging: the pressure to be perfectly at ease even in intimacy. Yet the fear of not measuring up can take over from spontaneity: 31% of singles express this fear. (Un)performative Sex offers a different reading of sexual liberation: being free isn’t only about being able to say yes to more practices, it’s also about being able to hesitate, change your mind, or ask questions. Being able to say “yes,” “no” or “not yet” becomes essential. True sex appeal? Feeling confident enough to have nothing to prove.

Political Crash: convictions hit the campaign trail

The 2027 presidential election is approaching, and convictions are also making their way into dating conversations. One third of singles (33%) consider it important to meet someone who shares their political values. But compatibility often goes beyond simply dropping a ballot in the box: how to raise children, manage money, or divide household chores? The Political Crash refers to the moment when a difference of opinion turns into a disagreement over the life you want to build together. In a polarized world, opposites can still attract, but it remains to be seen which differences enrich the relationship and which complicate it.

To download the full happn Trendbook 2027, click HERE.

*happn survey conducted in September 2026 among 3,526 happn users in France and 18,000 happn users internationally