For anyone who has ever smelled durian’s powerful fragrance, you either love it or hate it. It’s not unusual to see signs in hotels or on public transportation across Southeast Asia forbidding durian from the premises. But for many, the smell and taste are irresistible.
According to a new survey from women-first dating app, Bumble, for singles in Singapore, it turns out having an attraction or aversion to durian could help you make a romantic connection.
With that in mind, and with durian season upon us, Bumble is helping Singaporeans get ready for it with a new suite of durian Interest Badges, Question, and Profile Prompts designed to highlight your love (or distaste) of the spiky, sweet fruit to potential matches.
From now until 30 June, the Bumble community in Singapore can select from two durian-related Question Games including, “Durian: love it or hate it?” and “How would you describe durian to someone who has never had it.” There is also a Profile Prompt, “My strong opinion about durian is that…,”
Bumble said that members who like durian can also swipe to view the in-app promo card and click ‘Add Badge’ to add to their profiles a limited edition “Durian Lover” interest badge to show potential matches their fondness for the fruit.
The company added that the new features “align with the dating (and durian!) needs of Gen Z and Millennial Singaporeans.”
A Bumble nationwide survey of singles aged 18-42. conducted with Milieu, found that more than 1 in 2 (54%) Singaporeans are likely to consume durian this year, 1 in 5 (20%) of whom expect to be eating durian with a date.
Durian research findings
Bumble released the following stats from their durian-related survey:
- Almost a quarter of respondents (24%) agree that eating durian with a romantic partner makes for great dates.
- 1 in 3 durian lovers (29%) (i.e. someone who is excited about durian season) said it would be a dealbreaker if someone they were romantically interested in did not like durian. However, most Singaporeans who don’t love durian (94%) (i.e. someone who is not excited about durian season) would not consider a love of durians a dating dealbreaker.
- Durian lovers are almost twice as likely (20%) to actively look for a romantic partner who shares similar interests in food before deciding whether they want to further explore a connection, as compared to people who are durian agnostic (11%) and haters (11%).
- 17% of durian lovers will bring someone they are interested in romantically to eat durian as a first date. In fact, 15% of durian lovers have actually had a durian date before!
“Our findings in Singapore reflect the palpable passion for food that locals hold dear,” said Lucille McCart, APAC Communications Director of Bumble.
“Food is such an important part of dating and romance, in fact it is said that eating great food releases similar brain chemicals as feelings of love. Whether you are a durian lover or not, we want to help you find your perfect match this durian season on Bumble. Shared interests are a crucial part of relationship compatibility, so our new durian themed product features are one way to find a match with the same taste as you! ”
