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Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

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Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#81
post #24

I'm not sure this will be at all helpful to you, but I will ahar a short story that had a meaningful impact on myself. I was at the point where I felt finding someone was hopeless (though now I realize I was still quite young). I was on a tour trip and spent a few days with a couple whom I learned found each other through an arraigned marriage. At first I was out off by the idea, but over the few days together l real…

I like this story. It reminded to a video I saw the other day talking about how the romantic love from literature has shaped our expectations. I also believe finding the perfect person is really hard. However working on the relationship and overcoming difficulties is what really brings couples closer. At least I see it that way with my wife. https://youtu.be/sPOuIyEJnbE

That’s lovely

Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#82
There is a solid system that I have seen work quite well in the workplace and a few of my colleagues relationships.

https://issendai.com/psychology/sick-systems.html

Use demographics to your advantage.

An obvious example: Chinese men have to clear a very high bar to be marriage material because of the shortage of women. Take advantage of this. You could start learning a martial art popular in China, then do an extended trip over there to “study” that style. That would give you the excuse to meet thousands of men self selected for attractive traits and a setting for in depth interaction several hours a day.

Hire a private researcher like gwern.org to research a source of unfair demographic advantage for you. I think Elisabeth from LessWrong is also available for arbitrary research hire but I don’t remember her website. Maybe someone else can link?

Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#83

> By most cultural standards, according to my male friends, I’m smart, beautiful, fit, kind, emotionally mature and doing meaningful work in the world. Not too needy and not a workaholic. Sometimes it's difficult to get an honest opinion from friends. There might be some turn off. It could be even something positive, there is AFAIK a phenomenon of men being intimidated by successful women.

Trust me with all the coaches and support groups I’ve been through, plus my willingness to throw myself to the wolves about my dating life on hacker news, I’m open and have heard many honest opinions about myself ! And iterated on that feedback !

Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#84

You're not going to like it, but I think the men you usually find attractive are out of your league Also, unfortunately, in today's society, high value men have less incentive to settle down. That is sad. Someone desirable to you, probably is for many other girls too, and they know that You might be a great person/woman, but might have something turning down people as well... I can't say. We, internet strangers, can'…

I don’t believe in the concept of out of your league or better or worse people . I don’t think there are better or worse people. I’ve dated all kind of guys, the last one I truly loved most people said was way “below my league” but love doesn’t work that way. It’s about fit.

Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#85
This post is framed as a laundry list of the things you've tried, but there's no information about your interactions with the men you dated. So I'm curious about what prevented those 120 dates from progressing forward.

How many different men did you go on the 120 dates with? How many men asked for second or third dates? Of these, how many did you accept? How many men did you ask for a second date? Assuming you get a second or third date, what typically ends the relationship?

There's really too little to go on here, but I've found a few common themes among other people who struggle with dating:

- They overrate their value on the dating market and set their sights on people out of their league.

- They're attracted to people who are bad fits in other ways. They may focus on winning over people who just aren't interested in them. Or they're attracted to people who have no intention of settling down with anyone. (EDIT: You wrote below that you set you're range from 30-50. That seems like a good sign that you're not being overly picky. Although, I would wager most 30 year old men setting up online dates with 40 year old women are looking for sex and not marriage).

- They spread themselves too thin, begin treating people like a commodity, and don't put effort into developing meaningful relationships, instead jumping from date to date hoping for love at first sight. You might be playing it like a numbers game, and that can be antithetical to building relationships. Online dating can make it worse, since it's so easy to just move on to the next person.

Also, it's unfortunately just much harder to date at 40+. The people who want to be married often are married by that age. You'll catch people on the rebound from divorces, but they're not always ready to jump back into a marriage. It's not impossible, it's just harder.

EDIT: I just thought of an online dating suggestion from my own experience. Use recent photos that are flattering but realistic. When I was in my mid-30s, I my hair began thinning and I didn't update my photos because I was so self-conscious. And as my hair loss progressed, my dates started going worse and worse. When a woman called me out on it, I finally updated my photos. After that, my dates had realistic expectations and I was no longer losing their trust right off the bat, and things improved immediately.

Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#86

These are three options, there are more: Option 1: Expand the pool - learn to be turned on by and interested in a wider variety of people. Option 2: Convert an existing relationship, perhaps a platonic friendship, to a mutually beneficial partnership. Option 3: Genuinely give up, allow yourself to relieve yourself of any expectations, and try to become mindful of the internal pressures you are applying on yourself as…

Option 2 sounds most interesting and fun. Option 3 is what feels most effective but also impossible to force.

Option 1 I have really really done. I’ve dated such a huge variety…

Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#88

You're not going to like it, but I think the men you usually find attractive are out of your league Also, unfortunately, in today's society, high value men have less incentive to settle down. That is sad. Someone desirable to you, probably is for many other girls too, and they know that You might be a great person/woman, but might have something turning down people as well... I can't say. We, internet strangers, can'…

I don’t believe in the concept of out of your league or better or worse people . I don’t think there are better or worse people. I’ve dated all kind of guys, the last one I truly loved most people said was way “below my league” but love doesn’t work that way. It’s about fit.

This is fascinating. Describe that fit. What is it that drew you to him initially? What traits differentiate him from others you've met?

If your tastes are less aligned with typical as this suggests that bodes well for your prospects.

Re: Ask HN: I’m 41 and still unmarried – what should I do?

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one out of ten I had second or third dates with

Oh, sorry. That's rough. I got to the point where I was going to start invoicing dating websites for all the money I spent on dating (food, booze, time spent). I was in the upper double digits and almost gave up. I eventually just started giving potential partners more time. Some more than I should have. Eventually, I found "the one." I think it takes me time to build relationships I feel comfortable in. Maybe that's…

Yes. Frankly, I really think bumble should pay me for all the guys I dated ;)
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