Modern Love Lessons We Can Learn from Gen Z
As generations shift, things naturally change. Love is no exception, with trends coming and going through the years.
Gen Z approaches love and relationships differently from their predecessors. As divisive as they may be, they do have several points — especially in romance! We can all take some notes on what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. It never hurts to learn love lessons, right?
Ok, Zoomer: A Closer Look at Gen Z
Before we get to the romance, we’ll discuss Gen Z first. This section will give some context for you to understand them better.
Generation Z (a.k.a Gen Z or Zoomers) is a demographic cohort consisting of people born between 1997 and 2012. As of writing, this group’s oldest members are in their mid-twenties and living post-education lives.
Diversity is the norm
According to the Pew Research Center, Gen Z is America’s most ethnically diverse generation. Although non-Hispanic whites (52%) are the dominant group, they only hold a slim lead. Hispanics (25%) make up a significant chunk of the group, with Black people (14%) and Asians (6%) coming in at smaller numbers. The remaining 5% come from different races or mixed ones.
This diversity can be applied to their views on marriage. How? Gen Zers are part of the 98% of adults aged 18 to 29 approving of intermarriage.
Gone are the days when they limit themselves to people within their city or country. They’re pretty open to marrying (or even dating) people outside their area codes.
Technology is king
Many consider Gen Zers to be digital natives. Millennials may be digital pioneers, but the former is a generation born into an age of unparalleled technological advancements. Information became instantly accessible and social media was (and still is) everywhere.
Chaos is everywhere
Apart from witnessing technological booms, Gen Zers also grew up in a time of many changes. The world’s turbulent state — especially in the past couple of years — has unfortunately caused constant stress for many. Social media’s destructive side hasn’t done them any favors either.
Because of all that, Gen Zers have learned to become pragmatic, nostalgic, and shrewd, always on the lookout for comfort and authenticity.
What Is Gen Z’s Take on Love
Many influences have shaped Gen Zers’ approaches to romantic matters. Here are a few realizations and realities that may surprise you:
Not every relationship needs to “go somewhere”
Gen Z’s pragmatic outlook has given birth to situationships. For the uninformed, it’s an arrangement walking a delicate line between friendship and a relationship. Fun fact: the term reached an all-time high in Google search traffic last year!
Some of you may scratch your heads at the thought of situationships. Why not just cross the line, yes? Here’s sociology professor Elizabeth Armstrong’s take on this setup:
Right now, this solves some kind of need for sex, intimacy, companionship — whatever that is — but this does not [necessarily have] a long-term time horizon.
Armstrong also believes situationships are popular because they contradict the relationship escalator. For those who don’t know, it’s the thought that relationships should follow a linear structure and hit typical milestones. People willingly put themselves in this undefined gray area and it works.
Like someone? Slide in their DMs
Most Gen Zers can’t imagine their lives without social media. And because of its ubiquity, many folks have turned their profiles into dating hubs. If they catch someone online who tickles their fancy, all they need to do is shoot them a message.
They’ve got bigger fish to fry
For many Gen Zers, romance is on the back burner because they’ve got bigger things on their plate. Transitioning to adulthood can get messy (especially nowadays), and they want to sort themselves out first before letting someone else into their lives.
Love Lessons to Learn
Now that you know how Gen Z operates in the romantic department, you may want to take these nuggets of wisdom with you as you navigate love:
Burst your bubble every now and then
Everyone’s got their comfort zones, yes? Sometimes, we need to step out of them to gain some growth.
Since Gen Z’s pretty open to non-traditional structures, why don’t you go outside your type? Don’t conform to unreasonable standards and defy expectations instead. You’ll never know until you give it a shot, so don’t let your what-ifs become regrets!
You don’t have to ride the relationship escalator all the time
Let’s say you have a physical and emotional connection with somebody, yet you two aren’t down with labels. Is it disastrous? The good news: it doesn’t have to be.
If you’re in situations where you just can’t put a label on your relationship, don’t force yourselves into becoming official — especially if you aren’t ready! As long as you properly communicate your wants and needs, all should be cool.
Look out for yourself
Self-care is a hit, and you should get on that bandwagon. Just because you’re committed to someone doesn’t mean giving your everything into the relationship. Leave some room to be your own person because you’re more than just someone else’s partner. If your significant other truly loves you, they’ll totally understand. Heck, they may even encourage it!
Younger people may look to older generations for advice. However, it doesn’t hurt to take a few cues from Gen Zers on occasion. May these love lessons push you to a healthier direction in your relationships.
