Thanks to a global pandemic that has shuttered most traditional dating locations, many people are taking to Zoom for their dating instead. While a Zoom date doesn’t give the same atmosphere as real life interactions, many people are discovering that there are benefits to not meeting your date in person. Here are just a couple of them.

Less dangerous for women

Let’s face it. Dating can be dangerous for anyone, but especially for women. This is why we often see posters in the women’s bathroom talking about code words to ask the staff for help, and nail polish that tells you whether date rape drugs are in your drink.

With Zoom dating, things are much safer. You are cosied up in your home, and (hopefully) that person doesn’t know where you live. If they’re creepy, all you have to do is “leave the meeting.”

Shorter Bad Dates

We’ve all had a date that dragged on for hours when you just weren’t interested. Bad dates are part of life, but with Zoom dating they don’t have to be so—well—long. If a Zoom date is going south, all you will have wasted is a 5 minute conversation, not 2-3 hours prepping and going to dinner.

Dressing Down

We all want to make a good impression when we go on a date, especially if it is the first couple of dates. This can mean hours of choosing just the right outfit, applying makeup, and doing your hair. With Zoom meetings, dressing down is the normal. You can wear your comfy pants and just throw a nice sweater on, and no one will ever know the difference.

Clearer Boundaries

On Zoom, if you want something you have to use your words. In the real world, it’s a lot easier to walk over someones boundaries as if they don’t exist. This isn’t just coming in for a kiss on the first date, but ordering someone else’s food without asking them what they want, or deciding any number of other things without asking first.

This isn’t possible on Zoom. If you want things to get spicier, you’re going to have to ask. Want them to try a new food? You’ll have to use your words to get that—and it’s entirely up to the other person to decide if they will.

Boundaries are very important, and are frequently abused, but thanks to Zoom dating you can change that.

Zoom dating has its drawbacks. You can’t touch your date, they typically don’t last as long, and what you can see or do is very limited. It also has its good points though. Learning how to harness those good points will help you take advantage of Zoom, and perhaps learn a few things about what you want in real life dates. The pandemic has certainly changed how we do things. After the pandemic is over however, there’s no reason to go completely back to normal. Zoom dating has shown us the good parts of online dating, and given us another way to screen potential dates for quality.