Social media and dating apps have allowed mankind to connect like never before, but according to last year’s census, there are still 117 million singles in the US. While finding a hookup takes only just a few swipes these days, seeing infidelity play out so publicly has turned many off the idea of love – or at least led them to be much more selective about who they date. In hopes of bringing more people together, the matchmaking service Keeper has created a standards calculator that will give some insight into how many people in America might be right for you.
What Are Standards in Dating?
Before we dive too deep, it’s important to clearly define what standards are. As Relaxify puts it, “[they’re] not person-specific. They are the healthy boundaries, values, and principles you use to protect yourself from people and situations that you can’t tolerate. When you try to define your own value system, you’re not thinking of a potential partner – you are thinking of yourself.”
Some make the mistake of confusing standards and expectations, the latter being beliefs that other people will act a certain way. It’s important to have standards that reflect your integrity, but if we’re not careful, they can also become a barrier that severely limits our ability to connect with others.
Keepeer’s Standards Calculator Assesses Your Shot at Love
If you’re curious how many people would get your seal of approval, Keepers’ standards calculator uses data from the 2022 Census Bureau and the 2017-2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine how many eligible partners you have in the US. CEO Jake Kozloski spoke with The Post about his company’s creation, noting that many people fall in love with others who aren’t necessarily their “type.”
“When you discover new things to love about someone, some of the things you can search for on the standards calculator may seem less important,” Kozloski explained. Overall, his goal is to help open singles’ eyes to the possibilities that await them outside their comfort zone. For example, we filled out the calculator as a woman seeking a man who’s between 25 and 36 and wants kids, these might be non-negotiable standards for some, and they’re healthy to have. However, from there, Keeper allows you to be much more limiting, restricting the height to over six feet and income to over six figures.
Let’s say you’re also a Black Atheist who wants to date someone of the same race and religious beliefs, is college-educated, not obese and doesn’t drink. Suddenly, your options are limited to 0.0056% or 9,239 of the 164,977,341 American men. Considering Keeper hasn’t been able to tell us where your potential soulmates are located if you’re on the hunt for love, you might want to consider opening yourself up to more possibilities.
How Many People Meet My Standards?
If you try switching things up from your usual type, you might find a ton of suitors come flooding in. On the Keeper standards calculator, we ran a test of a woman looking for a man between 25 and 42 who wants kids. Anything above 5’9” and a $70K income will do, while ethnicity, hair color, eye color, education and religion don’t matter. Though she doesn’t want a smoker, she doesn’t mind if he drinks or if he’s overweight. These adjustments (while they might not be for everyone) show that now 1.34%, or 2,210,696 men meet her standards, and are likely looking for their soulmate too.
If you want to reflect on your standards, the best place to start is in analyzing the relationships already around you. Who makes you feel like the fullest version of yourself, and what do they do to get you there? What behaviors are you not willing to allow? What do you need from others to feel safe? Alternatively, you can also ponder if you’re holding yourself accountable and giving your mind, body and soul the treatment it deserves so that you naturally attract the same from others.