One statistic stopped us cold: a meaningful slice of American singles say they’ve had a “romantic relationship” with AI, not just a quick chat or a joke, but ongoing emotional companionship and intimate conversation. That’s where our conversation with Dr. Amanda Gesselman goes first, and it opens a bigger question about what connection looks like in 2026 when dating, sex, and technology keep colliding. Dr. Gesselman leads Sex and Relationship Science at Match.com and researches intimacy at the Kinsey Institute, so she’s not guessing, she’s working from the annual Singles in America survey.

We get into how Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers differ on sexual activity, committed monogamy, and openness to non-monogamous relationships like open relationships and polyamory. We also talk about age gap relationships and what people actually say they’re looking for when they date someone 10+ years older or younger. Then we shift to porn use and the real-world impact many singles report: unrealistic expectations about bodies, doubts about sexual performance, and pressure that can follow people into new relationships.

From there, we zoom out to dating strategies. Most singles say they’re open to a relationship, but far fewer are actively dating, and the apps are still the dominant path. At the same time, we hear signs of a swing back toward in-person meetups and a jump in people using professional matchmakers. We also unpack the “misconception gap” in heterosexual dating: men feeling assumed to want only casual sex, women feeling assumed to be materialistic, and how that misread creates burnout even while romantic optimism stays stubbornly strong.

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