๐ฅIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
In two speed-dating studies, people filled in questionnaires of more than 100 items about what they look for in a partner before they met. The questionnaires could only work out who tends to like others in general and who tends to be popular in general. They could not work out whether these two particular people would click. You only find out whether you click by meeting. So getting to know a few more people is a better bet than staking everything on one.
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Saves time
๐Is dating and marriage worth it?โ
If the other person has clearly said no and you still send messages or wait for them, it has been a public security violation since January 2026. It can bring detention of up to 5 days (ๆ็) or a fine of up to 1,000 CNY. In more serious cases, detention of 5 to 10 days. The police can also order you to stay away from the person, and breaking that order brings another 5 to 10 days of detention.
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Keeps you free
๐Is dating and marriage worth it?โ
After strangers of the opposite sex chatted for ten minutes or so and then judged each other, they were fairly accurate at judging that "the other person is not flirting," but could hardly tell when "the other person is flirting." So don't draw conclusions from the expressions and tone in a single conversation alone. People who feel more drawn to someone are more likely to message them and ask them out afterward, though the link is weak.
- Moderate value
- Evidence B
- Saves time
- Disputed
๐ซถIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
What best tells you whether a relationship is good is your own feeling, not the other person's credentials. For example, whether you feel they are serious about you, whether they appreciate you, and how much the two of you argue. Your own feeling predicts better than your partner's account by 2 to 4 times. But whether the relationship gets better or worse from here, no questionnaire can really work out.
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Saves time
๐ฌIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
Two strangers took turns answering 36 questions that go from light to deep, and after 45 minutes they felt much closer than people who just chatted for the same time. What works is taking turns telling the truth and going a layer deeper each time, not clever lines. This shows only that they felt closer at that moment, not that it grows into a long-term relationship.
- Moderate value
- Evidence B
- Saves time
โ๏ธIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
Long distance is actually more stable while you are apart, because you see each other less and it is easy to think the other person is better than they really are. The real hurdle comes after you move in together. In the follow-up data, about half of the long-distance couples reached the same-city stage, and the other half ended while still apart. Of the half that reunited, one-third broke up within 3 months.
- Moderate value
- Evidence B
- Saves time
๐ซIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
Married people have about 12% lower odds of dying in the same period than unmarried people, and people who have never married have about 24% higher odds than married people. But these are only two things appearing together, not marriage doing the work. The figures come mostly from Europe and America, so for China treat them only as an order of magnitude.
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Buys life
- Disputed
๐งนIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
The national time-use survey counted unpaid work such as housework and caring for and keeping company with family members. Among those who did it that day, men averaged 1 hour 52 minutes a day and women 3 hours 29 minutes. The survey did not group people by whether they were married, so there is no official figure for "how much more housework comes with marriage," and this gender gap can only serve as an upper-bound reference. The division of labor can be worked out differently before you register.
- High value
- Evidence A
- Saves time
๐ฉบIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
If you have a serious illness and did not truthfully tell the other person before registration, the other person can ask the court to annul the marriage. It must be requested within one year of learning of it. The checkup itself has not been a precondition for getting the certificate since 2003, and going is voluntary. The cost depends on local policy, and it takes half a day.
- Moderate value
- Evidence B
- Buys life
๐ชIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
The benefit to your elders, meaning peace of mind, face and an end to the nagging, is real. But it does not automatically turn into a health benefit or relationship quality for you. And the three accounts of time, money and the cost of getting out are all borne by you. If you write two columns on paper and separate which gains go to you and which to your elders, you can see at a glance whether the account adds up.
- Moderate value
- Evidence C
- Saves time
๐๏ธIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
Couples with good relationships are somewhat healthier and have somewhat lower risk of death. The link is small, about as large as the link between diet and health. In one experiment, couples who stayed hostile during an argument healed the small wounds made in the experiment at only 60% of the speed of couples who stayed calm.
- Moderate value
- Evidence B
- Buys life
๐ชชIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
Marrying while hiding your sexual orientation is neither void nor annullable in law, and the only way out is divorce. A marriage in name only (ๅฝขๅฉ) is also a real marriage, and the money earned after the wedding counts as the couple's joint property, and debts the two sign for together or that are borrowed for the family's everyday spending also count as the couple's. The deceived side can ask at divorce for a larger share of property and compensation for emotional harm, but whether the courts will support this is not settled.
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Saves money
๐คIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
Couples who were stuck and finished couples therapy together became clearly more satisfied with the relationship, and about 70% improved. Couples who just waited on a waiting list basically did not change. But the effect fades: by year 5, about half were still clearly doing well, and about a quarter had separated or divorced.
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Saves time
- Disputed
๐จโ๐งIs dating and marriage worth it?โ
The two of you can work out and write into the agreement who the child lives with, how much is paid each month, and when the other parent can see the child. If you can't agree, the court decides; for someone with a fixed income, child support is generally 20 to 30 percent of the paying parent's monthly income. If the other side doesn't pay the agreed money, you can sue to get it. If the other side blocks you from seeing the child, the court can fine or detain him, but it will not forcibly bring the child to you.
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Saves money
- For: Child under 3, Child aged 3โ18
