Associate Professor Tila Pronk of Tilburg University specializes in social psychology and is fascinated by love and relationships. She’s paying a visit to TU/e to talk about her research on online dating and challenges in long-term relationships. Pronk will also address questions from the audience. What issues do you run into when it comes to dating via apps? TINT has already asked around within its own community, and there are many questions about open relationships and frustrations with online dating, such as dick pics or being ghosted.

“At TINT, we often focus on the question of ‘who am I and where do I stand in life’. Of course, love, friendship and relationships all factor into that,” says TINT life coach Margit van Tuijl.

Both event organizer Kasper de Bruijn and Van Tuijl consider the evening successful if both they themselves and the participants are prompted to do some thinking. “Leave with fresh perspectives, but also having experienced a sense of recognition: I’m not alone in this.” That is something they’re firmly convinced of at TINT: a lot of people struggle with finding a partner or making new friends in this online era. Van Tuijl smiles: “Nowadays, it may be more important than ever to just be yourself in relationships.”

36 questions

Halfway through the evening, there will also be time for a short speed dating exercise. “We’ll do so through a game in the style of ‘36 questions to fall in love’,” says Van Tuijl. “However, we’ll slim down that number a bit for the sake of time.” The idea is that the participants will be asked a few questions and then they respond by standing on the one or the other side of the room. For example, everyone who loves mountain climbing will go to the left. Or everyone who likes fitness, et cetera.” Such a pre-selection can help you find people you have something in common with before getting to know each other better. More than 180 people have already signed up for the “Navigating Modern Dating Life” event, promising a packed Blauwe Zaal on March 26. The evening is intended for anyone interested in the topic, no matter what their love life looks like at the moment. Van Tuijl emphasizes that this evening is not just about love but above all, about connections. “It can also be about friendships, who knows what this evening will lead to.”