RAB Source Entry #1 – Jemel Thomas

Part 1: MLA Citation

Fisher, Helen. “How Coronavirus Is Changing the Dating Game for the Better.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 May 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/well/mind/dating-coronavirus-love-relationships.html.

Part 2: Summary

Main Idea: Dating is taking a positive turn for singles and couples during the time of covid.

Supporting Detail:  People started becoming more open to online dating and video chatting with possible partners. It’s only since then, platforms such as tinder started being used seriously.

Supporting Detail:  The “getting to know you process” as Helen Fisher calls it, is getting longer. Giving a relationship time to build up before starting it is better than hopping straight into one. This is what we humans are programmed to be anyways.

Supporting Deting:  The dating stage is getting longer. According to Helen Fisher’s research, couples who date longer have less of a tendency to devorce. This means more people are deciding to stay married.

In “How Coronavirus Is Changing The Dating Game for the Better”, Helen Fisher dictates that dating is taking a positive turn for singles and couples during the time of covid. People started becoming more open to online dating and video chatting with possible partners. It’s only since then, platforms such as tinder started being used seriously. The “getting to know you process” as Helen Fisher calls it, is getting longer. Giving a relationship time to build up before starting it is better than hopping straight into one. This is how we humans are programmed to be anyways. Also, The dating stage is getting longer. According to Helen Fisher’s research, couples who date longer have less of a tendency to devorce. This means more people are deciding to stay married.

Part 3: Reflection and Rhetorical/Genre Analysis

I was actually surprised after reading this article. I was expecting people to be more discouraged to attempt finding a potential partner since the pandemic was such a gloomy time for most. Obviously, people switched to dating online. This is something even I would have done if I was interested during the start of Covid. For me, video chatting was a better option to communicate with the person I was in a relationship with, rather than meeting up a lot. I agree with Helen, especially when she writes, “This virus is probably delaying matrimony, too”. People in general, and in my life, are taking their time before making the decision. I believe the coronavirus opened many peoples eyes to see how precious life is and it is important to not only spend time with those you love, but to know the people you truly love. You can always fall in love, but it’s important to take time to realize if you value your connection with the other person and if you’re willing to commit to them. Although this article contains great information on how adult relationships were being affected, it does not have any relevance to teenagers or youth relationships. How were teens in school affected? When I was in school, I noticed that most couples that were together before schools closed actually stayed together. In fact, their bonds seemed even stronger and more uncomfortably present in the classroom. On the other hand, I noticed that some couples actually ended things, and never really communicated at all in school. Writer Helen Fisher mentions the increase of online dating and video chatting. I believe teenagers have a huge connection to that increase, and knowing that it’s possible that the pandemic affected different age groups in different ways is intriguing.

The genre of this article is informational. The purpose is to inform his audience, the public, about how Covid-19 is affecting relationships/dating. In the article Helen Fisher touches on both in person and online dating, along with comparing how well they were doing before and during the pandemic. Helen Fisher is an American Anthropologist and Human Behavior Researcher. She was even “chief science advisor” for “Match.com” for 15 years, a dating site she mentions. This article was uploaded to “The New York Times”, a reliable source of Educated and Professional Writers. The writing style is objective.

Part 4: Notable Quotables

“This Pandemic has solved, if temporarily, two of the most challenging aspects of contemporary dating: sex and money.” ( Helen 1)

“Also important: Think of a reason to say ‘yes’. We have enveloped a large brain region linked with what neurologists call ‘negative bias’.” (Helen 2)

“We were built for slow love- and this pandemic is continuing to draw out this courtship process.” (Helen 2)