Notes.
On meeting people on purpose, the slow death of swipe apps, and why one well-made coffee beats a hundred messages.
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Nobody’s Swiping Like They Used To
Tinder’s users fell every quarter last year, while singles events, dinners with strangers and run clubs keep filling up. The verified numbers on where the daters went.
Data & research -
The One-Hour Coffee: The Case for Short First Meets
Why a capped hour beats an open-ended hang. What the research says about fast first impressions, endings you actually remember, and the easier yes.
Friendship & meeting people -
FIFO and Friendship: Making Your Week at Home Count
Your mates work Monday to Friday and your week off doesn’t care. What WA’s FIFO research says about the home half of the roster, and why free-at-10am-on-a-Tuesday is the easiest coffee invitation in Perth.
Friendship & meeting people -
The Swipe Era Is Over. What Comes Next Is In Person.
Dating apps are shrinking, run clubs are quadrupling and the coffee chat is back. The numbers behind the turn to real life, and what the in-person era asks of you.
Friendship & meeting people -
The Regulars: What Going to the Same Café Every Week Does for You
Familiarity comes first, and liking follows it in. The mere-exposure research behind the corner table you keep sitting at, and why the barista knowing your order matters.
Coffee culture -
Nearly Half of Young Adults Say They're Lonely
A new eight-country study led by Washington University in St. Louis found close to half of 18-24-year-olds report loneliness, more than any other age group, including the over-55s. The numbers, and why the most connected generation reports the least connection.
Friendship & meeting people -
Career Switchers: Rebuilding Your People From Zero
A career change costs more than a job title. The ABS says 1.1 million Australians changed employer last year, and the research shows friendships decay three times faster than family ties through exactly this kind of transition. How to rebuild a circle on purpose.
Friendship & meeting people -
What Cafés Know About Community That Apps Never Learned
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg named it the “third place” in 1989 and Stanford’s Mark Granovetter proved the loose ties formed there move more than close ones. What the research says about presence beating profiles.
Friendship & meeting people -
Showing Up Is the Whole Game
A third of Americans admit they often agree to plans they don’t want to keep, and 76% have ghosted or been ghosted. Here’s why the research says reliability, not charisma, is what people actually want from a friend.
Friendship & meeting people -
Winter Is Perth's Best Season for Meeting People
Summer's default plan is always the beach. Winter takes it off the table, along with the backyard, the long evening light and every other excuse to put the coffee off. Here's the behavioural case for the cold months.
Friendship & meeting people -
The Kids Moved Out. Now What?
AARP’s 2025 research found loneliness among the over-45s at 40% and rising, and rising fastest for men. What the empty-nest years actually do to a social life, and how to rebuild one on purpose.
Friendship & meeting people -
Talking to Strangers Is a Skill
Nicholas Epley’s research shows we badly underestimate how much strangers enjoy talking to us. Here’s the study that proves it’s a skill you can practise, and the small daily reps that build it.
Friendship & meeting people -
Coffee Got Expensive. It’s Still the Cheapest Way to Meet Someone.
Bean prices are up well over 200% and café margins are down to the bone. Here’s why a flat white is still the best-value hour you can buy with a stranger.
Friendship & meeting people -
Same Time Next Week
Run clubs, sea dips and pickleball are booming in Perth because they repeat. What the research says about turning acquaintances into friends, and why a weekly coffee is the easiest version of the trick.
Friendship & meeting people -
Coffee First, Padel Second
Australia’s padel courts are booked solid. The hard part was never fitness. It’s finding someone to show up with. Here’s what the research says, and why coffee comes first.
Friendship & meeting people -
The Etiquette of the One-Hour Meet
Arriving, ending on time, the who-pays question, the follow-up: the unwritten rules of the low-stakes catch-up, written down.
Friendship & meeting people -
Remote Work Didn’t Just Change Where We Work. It Changed Who We Know.
The friendships that used to happen by accident at the office didn’t move online with everything else. Here’s what the research says we lost.
Friendship & meeting people -
Lonely in Australia: What the Numbers Say
We pulled the real figures on loneliness in Australia. The most surprising one is who feels it most.
Friendship & meeting people -
Just Moved to a New City?
The loneliness no one warns you about arrives once the boxes are gone. A simple first-month plan for meeting people.
Friendship & meeting people -
How to Make Friends as an Adult
It got harder for a reason. Five low-pressure ways to meet people again, without it feeling forced.
Friendship & meeting people -
Alternatives to Meetup.com
Five other ways to meet new people in Australia. None of them involve signing up to a hike.
Friendship & meeting people