Editing Intimate relationship (section)

==== Context ====
[[File:How_heterosexual_couples_have_met,_data_from_2009_and_2017.png|thumb|388x388px|The internet has become a popular avenue for meeting an intimate partner.]]
Context, timing, and external circumstances influence attraction and whether an individual is receptive to beginning an intimate relationship. Individuals vary across the lifespan in feeling ready for a relationship, and other external pressures including family expectations, peers being in committed relationships, and cultural [[Norms (sociology)|norms]] influence when people decide to pursue an intimate relationship.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Agnew |first1=Christopher R. |title=Relationship Receptivity Theory: Timing and Interdependent Relationships |date=2020 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/interdependence-interaction-and-close-relationships/relationship-receptivity-theory/049BF596EEAE72A0E53640AC4637F3D5 |work=Interdependence, Interaction, and Close Relationships |pages=269–292 |editor-last=Agnew |editor-first=Christopher R. |access-date=2023-11-08 |series=Advances in Personal Relationships |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781108645836.014 |isbn=978-1-108-48096-3 |last2=Hadden |first2=Benjamin W. |last3=Tan |first3=Kenneth |s2cid=225698943 |editor2-last=Machia |editor2-first=Laura V. |editor3-last=Arriaga |editor3-first=Ximena B.|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Being in close physical proximity is a powerful facilitator for formation of relationships because it allows people to get to know each other through repeated interactions. Intimate partners commonly meet at college or school, as coworkers, as neighbors, at bars, or through religious community.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Sprecher |first1=Susan |title=Relationship initiation and development. |date=2015 |url=https://doi.org/10.1037/14344-008 |work=APA handbook of personality and social psychology, Volume 3: Interpersonal relations. |pages=211–245 |access-date=2023-11-17 |place=Washington |publisher=American Psychological Association |language=en |doi=10.1037/14344-008 |last2=Felmlee |first2=Diane |last3=Metts |first3=Sandra |last4=Cupach |first4=William|isbn=978-1-4338-1703-8 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Speed dating]], [[Matchmaking|matchmakers]], and [[Online dating|online dating services]] are more structured formats used to begin relationships. The internet in particular has significantly changed how intimate relationships begin as it allows people to access potential partners beyond their immediate proximity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rosenfeld |first1=Michael J. |last2=Thomas |first2=Reuben J. |date=2012 |title=Searching for a Mate: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0003122412448050 |journal=American Sociological Review |language=en |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=523–547 |doi=10.1177/0003122412448050 |s2cid=145539089 |issn=0003-1224|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Shangwei |last2=Trottier |first2=Daniel |date=2022-04-03 |title=Dating apps: a literature review |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23808985.2022.2069046 |journal=Annals of the International Communication Association |language=en |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=91–115 |doi=10.1080/23808985.2022.2069046 |s2cid=248618275 |issn=2380-8985}}</ref> In 2023, [[Pew Research Center]] found that 53% of people under 30 have used online dating, and one in ten adults in a committed relationship met their partner online.<ref name="Vogels">{{Cite web |last1=Vogels |first1=Emily A. |last2=McClain |first2=Colleen |title=Key findings about online dating in the U.S. |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/02/key-findings-about-online-dating-in-the-u-s/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Pew Research Center |date=2 February 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> However, there remains skepticism about the effectiveness and safety of dating apps due to their potential to facilitate [[dating violence]].<ref name="Vogels" />