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[Plies]

I'm 26 and successful in other areas of my life except dating. I'm independent, like my job, have my hobbies, have friends, good family relationships, I'm doing well. I like how I look and think I have a lot to offer.

I absolutely suck at dating, and find it all incredibly stressful. Unfortunately I'm no good at the whole aloof/distant/chase thing, either.
That's not to say I scare women off by sending 10 million texts and declaring love, but I just find dating and being in a long-term relationship stressful.

There seems to be an insane pressure for people to be coupled up though, society is built around couples and there's this whole idea that life is 'complete' once you find 'the one".

There is a level of smugness from some couples, the idea that they're better or more attractive because they're in a relationship.

Women don't seem to want to be with me, I don't know why that is, but they don't. I can't be bothered any more.

I'm sick of hearing all the clichés around dating (mostly by people who are in relationships). I find the whole thing incredibly stressful.

Sometimes it's lonely and miserable. I find many men are not worth it either, that said so many people around me give the appearance of being blissfully happy together.

Anyone else?

 

[INC]

Sucks to hear that 26!!!

But I feel your pain, I can't be arsed with it all, I have loads of really decent girl mates, so if I wanna have a date, ie go to an event, cinema, dinner etc, I can do all that, and legit go 50/50 with 0 stress or hassle, i don't answer your no one.

If I want physical contact, I can just pay for it, if I was that desperate (which currently I'm not)

Really all I'd want out of relationship now would be halving my bills tbh, to do more shitni wanna do

 

[HRK69]

I've mentioned this a couple of times already, and I really don't want to sound like a broken record, but I've basically given up on social and romantic relationships for now

Honestly, I'm much happier this way.

For most of my life, I was rarely ever alone. I was always in some kind of romantic relationship or involved in hookups. It felt normal at the time, but looking back, I realize it wasn't necessarily healthy for me. Being constantly surrounded by people or entangled in relationships became emotionally exhausting.

Right now, I'm just at a point where I need peace. Solitude has given me a kind of clarity and contentment I didn't expect

Maybe that'll change someday, who knows. But for now, I'm okay being on my own

It's a peacefull life but it has its challenges

 

[phvk]

Here's some (maybe generic) advice but still the best thing I can think of.

Option 1:
Join a group, not for dating, but because you genuinely find that group interests you. You want something that you'll do for 50 years even if you remain single. Hopefully you find some mixed company and something happens. You'll still have to take the initiative though to ask someone out or make something happen.

Option 2:
Join a mixed athletics group whether you like sports or not. Athletic groups that are mixed like Volleyball or Softball are a great way to not have it all be dudes. Everyone is feeling good from the exercise and the high from winning (hopefully). Makes it easy for conversation to flow naturally and personalities to shine under pressure.

Option 3:
Get a job in a restaurant as a server or bartender a couple days a week. Going to be the same shit as an athletics group. High energy environment, trauma bonding, etc. that will bring you close to your coworkers. Everybody is fucking everybody (a little exaggerated, but from my experience, kind of true) and most people want to grab drinks after work or kick it at someone's apartment. Definitely the most social people I've met have been servers. You also make good money, comparable to entry level STEM white collar work if you land a good location bartending in a big city.

 

[M.W.]

If you're trying to find "the one" it will never happen. It's gotta be organic.

 

[Bojji]

I'm 26 and successful in other areas of my life except dating. I'm independent, like my job, have my hobbies, have friends, good family relationships, I'm doing well. I like how I look and think I have a lot to offer.

I absolutely suck at dating, and find it all incredibly stressful. Unfortunately I'm no good at the whole aloof/distant/chase thing, either.
That's not to say I scare women off by sending 10 million texts and declaring love, but I just find dating and being in a long-term relationship stressful.

There seems to be an insane pressure for people to be coupled up though, society is built around couples and there's this whole idea that life is 'complete' once you find 'the one".

There is a level of smugness from some couples, the idea that they're better or more attractive because they're in a relationship.

Women don't seem to want to be with me, I don't know why that is, but they don't. I can't be bothered any more.

I'm sick of hearing all the clichés around dating (mostly by people who are in relationships). I find the whole thing incredibly stressful.

Sometimes it's lonely and miserable. I find many men are not worth it either, that said so many people around me give the appearance of being blissfully happy together.

Anyone else?

You shouldn't really worry yourself much about this stuff when you are still this young. 18-30 is the worst time for many men.

I was going to prostitutes in that time frame, it filled my sexual needs and it was a good training ground. Good times...

My woman found me when I was 30, we are happy for 5 years now. To be honest I didn't expect this, I was ready to continue ma single life (with hookers).

 

[Chuck Berry]

You guys are nuts. 26 and giving up on dating?! Stay out there. Work on yourselves. Even if a permanent one doesn't come around you can still maintain sanity by at least getting your dick wet with some new strange puss every couple months or so.

I seriously doubt any of you want to die alone.

HRK69 No wonder you're such an asshole Please stay lonely bro

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

no I love women but I'd say if you want to be intimate don't give up because you'll find a lady that can match your weird

lots of women like older men so that should give you some hope. I did much better with women, even younger women, in my 30s than I did in my teens and 20s

 

[HRK69]

You guys are nuts. 26 and giving up on dating?! Stay out there. Work on yourselves. Even if a permanent one doesn't come around you can still maintain sanity by at least getting your dick wet with some new strange puss every couple months or so.

I seriously doubt any of you want to die alone.

HRK69 No wonder you're such an asshole Please stay lonely bro

Lmao I live rent-free in your head even in completely unrelated threads

Imagine getting absolutely bodied in a gaming thread, licking your wounds for days, then dragging my name into a dating topic like some bitter ex.

You got embarrassed over a broken game and now you're giving dating advice like a dollar store Andrew Tate

Keep coping, king. I'll stay alone, you stay irrelevant

 

[violence]

Woman can read you more than we realize. If you're stressed, they might be sensing it.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Lmao I live rent-free in your head even in completely unrelated threads

Imagine getting absolutely bodied in a gaming thread, licking your wounds for days, then dragging my name into a dating topic like some bitter ex.

You got embarrassed over a broken game and now you're giving dating advice like a dollar store Andrew Tate

Keep coping, king. I'll stay alone, you stay irrelevant

Gotcha good

 

[HRK69]

Gotcha good

'Gotcha good'? That's your big comeback?

Man, if that's your victory lap, it's more of a limp jog with untied shoes. You dropped a middle school insult and followed it up with an emoji like it sealed the deal. Try again

 

[lughnasadh123]

Two things. First, nothing wrong with being solo if you're happy with it. That or being with someone both have their good and bad points to it. Savor the solitude while you can.

But if being solo the rest of your life isn't that appealing of a goal, I'd shift mentalities from finding a romantic partner to just finding a friend. That might not only ease some of the stress but also fill the lonely donut hole of being single that other bros can't fill. You'd also be surprise what can form from a friendship too. Either way, best of luck in the path YOU pick.

 

[Chuck Berry]

'Gotcha good'? That's your big comeback?

Man, if that's your victory lap, it's more of a limp jog with untied shoes. You dropped a middle school insult and followed it up with an emoji like it sealed the deal. Try again

Gotcha gooder

 

[bender]

Take a break from it. It's amazing what you find when you aren't looking for it.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

That's a hell of a thing to say at 26, almost sounds like you're having "quarter life" crisis or something.

Women don't seem to want to be with me, I don't know why that is, but they don't. I can't be bothered any more.

This attitude probably leaks out more than you realise and whoever you're going on dates with are responding to it.

 

[HRK69]

Gotcha gooder

After all the mindless defending of that dumpster fire game and your endless, juvenile trash talk, this weak-ass comeback just proves you peaked at 'tryhard.'

You're mad, you know it, and everyone else sees it too

Keep flailing, it's honestly hilarious watching you drown in your own meltdown

 

[Diddy X]

gotta gitgud my friend, honestly, work on yourself, after you are good enough you don't care much about girls anymore they become one more thing you get in your life like food or clothes WE most girls are trash anyway as are men.

 

[Sinozen]

I'm gay but I have a lot of straight friends and I know how screwed up dating is now for the average person. It took me a long time to find a partner myself too because most gays just wanna hook up.

I wouldn't give up. If you want something and put in serious effort you will get it. You've got to learn to love yourself before you can really love someone else though. Maybe the universe is pushing things off so that when you do get a relationship you'll be ready for it and it'll last. For me, being alone for so long developed me into a person that could handle a long term relationship. Looking back I'm grateful things took time because I wasn't ready for it.

 

[Chuck Berry]

After all the mindless defending of that dumpster fire game and your endless, juvenile trash talk, this weak-ass comeback just proves you peaked at 'tryhard.'

You're mad, you know it, and everyone else sees it too

Keep flailing, it's honestly hilarious watching you drown in your own meltdown

Dude for the love of christ..go hate fuck someone Pay for it if you have to. Let her ride YOU just in case you're too fat for missionary.

Either way you should ask a mod to remove the 69 from your username since you're never going to eat pussy again. Or ass. Whatever it is you do. Or did.

 

[Plies]

That's a hell of a thing to say at 26, almost sounds like you're having "quarter life" crisis or something.

Dating in 2025 is ass.

Even 2's and 3's have too high of standards now.
It's madness.

 

[MaestroMike]

Summer times when everyone's outside and hot and horny this is the time you want to make moves if ur playing the field the window shuts when it gets cooler and the door is closed during winter everyone's more shut in and frozen trust me bro

 

[Redneckerz]

I am the opposite. I am really an outlier, have a ton of banter and jokes, but like people say, it needs to happen organically.

Sadly, doing things organic takes time and what i am observing is that people don't have any. And if they do, they prefer spending it on social media.

 

[HRK69]

Dude for the love of christ..go hate fuck someone Pay for it if you have to. Let her ride YOU just in case you're too fat for missionary.

Either way you should ask a mod to remove the 69 from your username since you're never going to eat pussy again. Or ass. Whatever it is you do. Or did.

Honestly, there's literally nothing you can say at this point that'll impress anyone

After handing out a low 7 to Mindseye, you've burned every bit of credibility you had

And with comebacks like that? You should ask the mods to remove your keyboard

 

[Chuck Berry]

Honestly, there's literally nothing you can say at this point that'll impress anyone

After handing out a low 7 to Mindseye, you've burned every bit of credibility you had

And with comebacks like that? You should ask the mods to remove your keyboard

Hopeless Retarded Kid

I'm here for you man

 

[HRK69]

Hopeless Retarded Kid

I'm here for you man

More like Held Resentment King.

And it's wild how fast you proved why. Keep barking from the sidelines while your credibility evaporates like your taste in games

And the 69? That's just a reminder of how thoroughly I've been bending your arguments over backwards since page one of many threads

 

[Tams]

Hopeless Retarded Kid

I'm here for you man

More like Held Resentment King.

And it's wild how fast you proved why. Keep barking from the sidelines while your credibility evaporates like your taste in games

And the 69? That's just a reminder of how thoroughly I've been bending your arguments over backwards since page one of many threads

 

[HRK69]

 

[bender]

I bought two of these t-shirts because I love Mike Tyson::

 

[Tams]

 

[Nocty]

I can't even remember the names of girls I was seeing at 26, let alone relationship with...

I met my wife at 30, some years ago. I will be honest, 99% of Women generally annoy me, I don't like being around them very much. The effort you have to put in and bullshit you have to endure to engage with the average woman is almost always completely wasted.

I met my wife and it felt different. She shares my passions, shes attractive, she is not perfect but more importantly she doesn't have the princess fallacy mindset that all the women I dated before her had. When we met it felt like a friendship at first - I was not particularly interested in her initially because I was far too busy with a job that required me to be in Japan most of the year.

As soon as I lost that job and moved back home, she inserted herself into my life as a friend. We would hangout as friends almost daily... I was always attracted to her physically, and I noticed she was starting to make a lot of effort around me despite me generally being a grumpy old shithead. One night when I went over to her place to pick her up and meet some other friends, she just opened the door and basically threw herself at me and everything else is history.

not one day Ive spent with her did I ever feel like it was effort or stresful. When the right person comes along, however long that is, you will know.

 

[Mistake]

Men's value increases over time, so don't worry too much about it. Also dating is like job interviews, you need to practice a bit before you can really start getting good. You have to learn the right stuff to say, and just because it sounds fine to you, doesn't mean it does to them.

Join events or group activities, having a shared interest increases the chance you will have more genuine conversations.

Travel. I don't know where you live, but research has shown that the difference between men and women in the US has grown significantly over the years. Traveling will give you some new perspectives on what's out there, and is also a good idea before you settle down

 

[KrakenIPA]

43 minus 26....

I would give thousands of US dollars to be 26 again, it means nothing to you you fucker.

Well thats life, make decisions and hope you dont die. Thats why im still here.

Merry Christmas asshole.

 

[Spokker]

I'm so glad I'm 40 and married and won't ever date again. I don't know how young men today are supposed to manage.

 

[RoboFu]

dude you are almost there though! Single women get desperate in their 30s... funny but true.

 

[Plies]

dude you are almost there though! Single women get desperate in their 30s... funny but true.

Why?

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Why?

Their biological clock is ticking

Pregnancy gets exponentially more complicated

It becomes a race against time, and desperation kicks in

Also women in general become less desirable the older they get. Men it's the opposite.

Those two things combined skew the odds in your favor

 

[Hot5pur]

Do you feel you want a partner because it's what you are supposed to do and you feel ashamed of being single, or are you excited about sharing a life with someone and making a best friend. Because it can't be both, as the former will prevent you from doing the latter.

 

[p_xavier]

I'm 26 and successful in other areas of my life except dating. I'm independent, like my job, have my hobbies, have friends, good family relationships, I'm doing well. I like how I look and think I have a lot to offer.

I absolutely suck at dating, and find it all incredibly stressful. Unfortunately I'm no good at the whole aloof/distant/chase thing, either.
That's not to say I scare women off by sending 10 million texts and declaring love, but I just find dating and being in a long-term relationship stressful.

There seems to be an insane pressure for people to be coupled up though, society is built around couples and there's this whole idea that life is 'complete' once you find 'the one".

There is a level of smugness from some couples, the idea that they're better or more attractive because they're in a relationship.

Women don't seem to want to be with me, I don't know why that is, but they don't. I can't be bothered any more.

I'm sick of hearing all the clichés around dating (mostly by people who are in relationships). I find the whole thing incredibly stressful.

Sometimes it's lonely and miserable. I find many men are not worth it either, that said so many people around me give the appearance of being blissfully happy together.

Anyone else?

Dear guy, stonemen didn't club women for no reason. I'm a muscular millionaire alpha jack and need to deal with that retardness. Hence , I fuck guys and sorry for the harsh terms.

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

Nice guys finish last.

 

[p_xavier]

Nice guys finish last.

 

[HRK69]

Nice guys finish last.

 

[p_xavier]

 

[bitbydeath]

Everyone's an idiot in their 20's.
Proper maturity doesn't arrive until your 30's.
I wouldn't stress on it.

 

[kpopSuperstar]

In your 20s you're still ignorant, just a decade ago you were a kid, but as you get older, family is more and more important, when you get really old its everything. At some points, having kids and grandkids is what makes life worth living. Alone is fine in your 20s, but gets more miserable as time goes by.

These days, people go to school for half their 20s, get terrified of settling down with kids, and try to self-realize their perfect life. Instead of settling down with the teenage sweetheart like people did back in the days. It was normal to be 22 and have kids and a wife not too long ago.

We all get more anal as we age, and getting together with new people is more tiresome as you settle in your ways. It gets 3 times harder in your 30s.

Its true that women get desperate in their 30s though. When they are young, they are 3 times as attractive and desirable as guys, but men look better as we age. I swear to good you can sense it within 5 seconds if they are single without kids when they cross 30. They are fucking tense and look at you in a certain way.

 

[kpopSuperstar]

43 minus 26....

I would give thousands of US dollars to be 26 again, it means nothing to you you fucker.

Well thats life, make decisions and hope you dont die. Thats why im still here.

Merry Christmas asshole.

43 minus 26? what does that mean?

 

[p_xavier]

Everyone's an idiot in their 20's.
Proper maturity doesn't arrive until your 30's.
I wouldn't stress on it.

What about women.

 

[Plies]

In your 20s you're still ignorant, just a decade ago you were a kid, but as you get older, family is more and more important, when you get really old its everything. At some points, having kids and grandkids is what makes life worth living. Alone is fine in your 20s, but gets more miserable as time goes by.

These days, people go to school for half their 20s, get terrified of settling down with kids, and try to self-realize their perfect life. Instead of settling down with the teenage sweetheart like people did back in the days. It was normal to be 22 and have kids and a wife not too long ago.

We all get more anal as we age, and getting together with new people is more tiresome as you settle in your ways. It gets 3 times harder in your 30s.

Its true that women get desperate in their 30s though. When they are young, they are 3 times as attractive and desirable as guys, but men look better as we age. I swear to good you can sense it within 5 seconds if they are single without kids when they cross 30. They are fucking tense and look at you in a certain way.

I feel like past generations, such as my parents were already married with multiple kids by my age.
It feels like I've failed in some way..
And alls I can do is go play a few rounds of Mario Kart.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

I'm 26 and successful in other areas of my life except dating. I'm independent, like my job, have my hobbies, have friends, good family relationships, I'm doing well. I like how I look and think I have a lot to offer.

I absolutely suck at dating, and find it all incredibly stressful. Unfortunately I'm no good at the whole aloof/distant/chase thing, either.
That's not to say I scare women off by sending 10 million texts and declaring love, but I just find dating and being in a long-term relationship stressful.

There seems to be an insane pressure for people to be coupled up though, society is built around couples and there's this whole idea that life is 'complete' once you find 'the one".

There is a level of smugness from some couples, the idea that they're better or more attractive because they're in a relationship.

Women don't seem to want to be with me, I don't know why that is, but they don't. I can't be bothered any more.

I'm sick of hearing all the clichés around dating (mostly by people who are in relationships). I find the whole thing incredibly stressful.

Sometimes it's lonely and miserable. I find many men are not worth it either, that said so many people around me give the appearance of being blissfully happy together.

Anyone else?

I have found when you least expect it and are not looking, a really good one could find her way to you. For me, it's always been when I am not looking and things sort of fall in place on their own. My own experience, anyway.

 

[p_xavier]

I feel like past generations, such as my parents were already married with multiple kids by my age.
It feels like I've failed in some way..
And alls I can do is go play a few rounds of Mario Kart.

Married before women were 21.