# Single in Your 60s

> Thoughtful, unhurried writing about being single later in life, whether you were widowed, divorced, or never stopped looking.

Single in Your 60s is for people who are single in their sixties and beyond.
We use larger type and plain language on purpose. Every article is sourced and checked.
Part of the BUMIS network. General information, not professional advice.

Publisher: BUMIS (https://getbumis.com). BUMIS: Your Dating Mirror. Not a dating app, an app for your dating life.
Every article lists its sources, author, publish date and last-updated date. General information, not therapy or professional advice.

## Articles

- [What does a steady, caring check-in look like?](https://singleinyour60s.com/pace/a-steady-caring-check-in/): It is predictable, specific and light: it shows you are thinking of them and asks for nothing urgent. After 60, with full calendars and long histories, steady matters more than frequent, and the check-ins that count most are often spoken, not typed. (Pace, updated 2026-10-02)
- [What are good first dates after 60?](https://singleinyour60s.com/pace/good-first-dates-after-60/): A good first date after 60 is short, public, and easy to talk through. Coffee, a walk, a museum hour or a matinee all work. Pick the one that fits how you like to get to know someone. (Pace, updated 2026-10-02)
- [How do I know if someone is lying to me?](https://singleinyour60s.com/practical-life/is-someone-lying-to-me/): Usually not from their face or voice, at any age. After 60, the lies that cost the most are the ones that end in a request for money, so the plain test is whether you have met in person, whether money stays out of it, and whether the story holds steady over time. (Practical life, updated 2026-10-02)
- [Is this a red flag, or am I just being careful?](https://singleinyour60s.com/companionship/red-flag-or-being-careful/): If your hesitation is about pace, health, privacy or your family, it is usually care, and you are entitled to it. If it is about someone reaching for your money, your time with family or your decisions, that is a red flag. After 60, caution about pace is rarely the problem. (Companionship, updated 2026-10-02)
- [What if they want less contact than I do?](https://singleinyour60s.com/pace/they-want-less-contact-than-you/): It is common, and on its own it does not mean they care less. After 60, a lighter touch is often about a full life and a chosen pace, so name the rhythm you each want and judge by what they do over weeks, not by the message count. (Pace, updated 2026-10-02)
- [What can companionship look like after 60?](https://singleinyour60s.com/companionship/companionship-later-in-life/): It can be a new romance, a close friendship, or a partner who keeps their own home. Many people find more than one shape works. (Companionship, updated 2026-10-01)
- [How do you start dating again after losing a spouse?](https://singleinyour60s.com/single-in-your-60s/dating-again-after-losing-a-spouse/): Slowly, and on your own clock. Start with company before romance, let your grief and your hope sit side by side, and tell the people who matter before they hear it from someone else. (Single in your 60s, updated 2026-10-01)
- [How do you open your heart again without getting hurt?](https://singleinyour60s.com/companionship/opening-your-heart-again/): You cannot open your heart with no risk at all. You can open it slowly, in steps you choose, so that if it hurts, the hurt is one you can carry. (Companionship, updated 2026-10-01)
- [Why do I overthink texts?](https://singleinyour60s.com/pace/overthinking-texts-after-60/): Because a text carries real feelings and very little information, so your mind fills the gaps with worry. After 60 there is often an extra layer: you are learning a new language, and the rules your grandchildren teach you may not be the rules the person you are seeing uses. (Pace, updated 2026-10-01)
- [Should I stay after they cheated?](https://singleinyour60s.com/single-in-your-60s/should-you-stay-after-they-cheated/): Stay only if they are fully honest about what happened and willing to do the slow work of repair, and only if you are choosing them, not just avoiding being alone. After 60, health, family and companionship can make leaving feel impossible, so it helps to pull those worries apart from the question of the relationship itself. (Single in your 60s, updated 2026-10-01)
- [How do I trust someone new later in life?](https://singleinyour60s.com/companionship/trust-someone-new-later-in-life/): Slowly, and out in the open: let trust grow from what a person does over months, and keep the people who love you in the loop. After 60, the instinct to trust is often stronger and the gut warning a little quieter, so a few plain rules do the job your gut used to. (Companionship, updated 2026-10-01)
- [How long should I wait before I worry about a reply?](https://singleinyour60s.com/pace/waiting-on-a-reply-after-60/): Usually longer than your nerves want: a day of quiet is ordinary, and early on two or three days can be too. In your 60s, phone habits, appointments and family weeks stretch replies further, and when the silence breaks this person's usual rhythm, the simplest move is often to call. (Pace, updated 2026-10-01)

## By the numbers

- 13% of adults 65 and older have ever used a dating site or app. Source: Pew Research Center, The who, where and why of online dating in the U.S. (2023; 6,034 U.S. adults, July 2022): https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/02/02/the-who-where-and-why-of-online-dating-in-the-u-s/
- 5% of Boomer singles have used AI in their dating lives. Source: Kinsey Institute and Match, Singles in America, 15th annual Singles in America study (2026; About 5,000 U.S. singles): https://mtch.com/news/match-unveils-15th-annual-singles-in-america-study/
- Half of single U.S. adults are not looking for a relationship or dates right now. Source: Pew Research Center, A profile of single Americans (2020; U.S. adults, 2019 survey): https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/08/20/a-profile-of-single-americans/
- 30% of U.S. adults have ever used a dating site or app. Source: Pew Research Center, The who, where and why of online dating in the U.S. (2023; 6,034 U.S. adults, July 2022): https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/02/02/the-who-where-and-why-of-online-dating-in-the-u-s/

## Further reading (other publishers)

Hand-picked outside sources we point readers to. Linked, not copied.

- [Older Americans Are Redefining Aging Alone](https://www.aarp.org/family-relationships/solo-aging/): AARP. A look at how more older adults are living solo and shaping that life on their own terms.
- [Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation](https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf): U.S. Surgeon General, 2023. The Surgeon General's advisory on the health effects of loneliness and why social connection matters.
- [Loneliness and Social Isolation: Tips for Staying Connected](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/loneliness-and-social-isolation/loneliness-and-social-isolation-tips-staying-connected): National Institute on Aging (NIH). Concrete, everyday ways to build and keep companionship, from classes and volunteering to regular calls.
- [7 Dos and 7 Don'ts for a First Date as an Older Adult](https://www.aarp.org/family-relationships/dating-dos-and-donts/): AARP. Sensible guidance for taking first dates slowly and safely, including what to save for later conversations.
- [Planning Tips for People Without Caregivers Nearby](https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/planning-for-aging-alone/): AARP. Covers the financial, legal and social planning that matters when you are living on your own.
- [Love, Trust and Online Deception: What Adults 50+ Need to Know About Romance Scams](https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/social-leisure/relationships/romance-scams-survey/): AARP Public Policy Institute. Survey findings on how romance scams reach older adults online and why so many losses go unreported.
- [The full list, by topic](https://singleinyour60s.com/reading/)

## Tools

- [8-question dating pattern check](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/): runs in the browser, stores nothing, returns one of 9 public pattern cards.
- [Full Speed](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/full-speed/): You feel it early and you let yourself run with it.
- [Slow Burn](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/slow-burn/): You wait until you are sure, and you are rarely sure early.
- [Clear Sky](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/clear-sky/): Not knowing where you stand is the hardest part for you.
- [Open Ended](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/open-ended/): You are comfortable letting things stay undefined.
- [Home Pull](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/home-pull/): You are drawn to a feeling you already know.
- [New Horizon](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/new-horizon/): You go looking for something different each time.
- [Long Goodbye](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/long-goodbye/): You stay past the point where it stopped working.
- [Clean Break](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/clean-break/): When it is over, you are gone.
- [Even Keel](https://singleinyour60s.com/quiz/even-keel/): No single lean stands out in your answers.

## Experts

- Bella DePaulo (Credentialed source): Research and writing on single life, including people who choose to stay single and live full lives on their own terms. Social psychologist (PhD, Harvard); academic affiliate, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UC Santa Barbara. Profiles: X @belladepaulo (https://x.com/belladepaulo). Last checked 2026-10-01.
- Marisa G. Franco (Credentialed source): Friendship, loneliness and belonging, and how adults make and keep close friends. Licensed counseling psychologist; PhD in Counseling Psychology, University of Maryland, where she teaches. Profiles: Instagram @drmarisagfranco (https://www.instagram.com/drmarisagfranco/). Last checked 2026-10-01.
- Pepper Schwartz (Credentialed source): Research and writing on love, sex and relationships, including dating and partnership later in life. Sociologist (PhD, Yale); Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of Washington. Profiles: Instagram @dr_pepper_schwartz (https://www.instagram.com/dr_pepper_schwartz/). Last checked 2026-10-01.
- [All experts and how we label them](https://singleinyour60s.com/experts/)

## About

- [All articles, newest first](https://singleinyour60s.com/articles/)
- [About Single in Your 60s](https://singleinyour60s.com/about/)

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