social experiment dating ring

Pear Ring: The social experiment that wants to end dating apps

Will the ring ease conversations or increase unwanted solicitation.

Ameya Paleja

Users wearing Pear Rings in different environments

Pear Ring

News outlets are beating the drums about the Pear Ring, dubbed the world’s biggest social experiment. Millions of people have reportedly joined this experiment that wants to end the culture of dating apps. But what is the Pear Ring, who should get one, and what are the likely outcomes of wearing it? Here are some answers.

According to its website, The Pear Ring is the opposite of engagement rings. Wearing one signals to others that an individual is single and looking to strike up a relationship. The website also claims that this is a real-life social experiment live in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Canada, and Australia and will be launched in other countries soon.

The next big dating app is… A green ring that signals that you’re single?💍 Pear Ring launched two weeks ago and now has nearly 150k followers on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/UTV1wRQ7au — Justine Moore (@venturetwins) April 6, 2023

Why does one need a Pear Ring?

Dating apps have been the more accessible option for many individuals who find it hard to strike up conversations as the algorithms have been doing the hard work of matching people up. However, the chances of finding the right person have been low, even with the technology. Instead, the apps have further increased the likelihood of experiencing social anxiety and compounded the risks of having eating disorders among users, studies have shown .

The Pear Ring experiment attempts to move people away from the apps and help them make real-life connections. By wearing the green-colored ring, an individual makes known their availability for dating in the real world, increasing their chances of being hit up at the gym, bar, train, restaurant, wedding, or almost anywhere where more humans are around.

Pear Ring

The experiment aims to allow people to talk and make connections more organically after signaling they are available. Although that sounds like a decent suggestion, it also costs nearly US$25 for the green circle shipped from a Shopify store in Canada.

With millions of rings already sold, one could argue that the ring is simply the insertion of consumerism in an activity that would have happened anyway. Moreover, wearing the ring gives others more authority to approach the person than empowering the wearer themselves.

The website also states that the ring gives the wearer access to World’s First Singles Festival whenever it is held. However, not everybody is convinced.

Comments on social media accounts have pointed out the possibilities of how women who wear the ring might be solicited more often. On the other hand, men may not even buy the ring and simply seek ring-wearing women in their neighborhood and be more weird than usual.

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ABOUT THE EDITOR

Ameya Paleja Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.

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Sick of the apps? This ring will tell strangers you're single and ready to mingle.

two women in sweaters with beers and chips at a pub table

If you've been on dating apps for more than a day, you know that they're exhausting. Swiping to find love isn't fun, but meeting offline isn't easy, either — especially years into a pandemic.

Enter the Pear ring , a $25 turquoise ring that claims to be "the world's biggest social experiment." The ring is for singles who are open to conversation IRL, and meant to signal to others that you want to meet people. It can be worn wherever you go — coffeeshops, bars, vacation, anywhere where you'd be down to chat with fellow singles. Pear's first release sold out, and according to its website the second release is ending soon. Headlines say "millions" of people have the Pear ring , but there's no indication of how many have been sold on Pear's website; in fact, the brand claims millions of singles will be donning it.

At the time of publication, Pear is available in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany. For a one-time fee of $25 you receive three rings — in sizes small, medium, and large — and access to exclusive events and PearFest, "the world's biggest singles festival." There are no other details about it on the site, only that the fest will be only for ring wearers.

Considering that most couples meet online nowadays, the concept of Pear is ambitious. In addition to claiming millions will be wearing the ring, Pear says that it's designed for every single person. It's unknown if Pear will live up to these claims, but dating app fatigue is real, so it won't be surprising if daters turn to an alternative.

Meeting a partner through dating apps seems tougher than ever. You have to bob and weave ghosters and romance scammers , people who you're not interested in, and people who waste your time. Singles can be looking for any type of relief from the dating app void, so Pear may be coming at just the right time. At the same time, women are already wondering if the ring can pose a safety risk if confronted with men they don't want to speak to.

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Mashable has reached out to Pear for comment.

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera

Anna Iovine is associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on X @annaroseiovine .

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What Are Pearº Rings and Will They Replace Online Dating?

Last Updated: August 17, 2024 References

What are pearº rings?

Pros & Cons
Do they work?
Where did they come from?

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. There are 20 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Learn more...

Tired of swiping through the same old dating apps? Pearº rings are part of a growing social experiment that’s trying to get rid of online dating altogether and replace it with real-life connections. Whether you’ve heard of this viral company on social media or seen someone wearing their turquoise or lilac ring, we’ll break down what Pearº rings mean, their benefits, drawbacks, whether they really work or not, and where they came from. Singles, read on!

Meaning of the Pearº Ring Social Experiment

Pearº rings are silicone turquoise (for straight individuals) or lilac (for LGBTQ+ individuals) rings that signify that you’re single and encourage others to make their move. The goal of these rings is to eliminate the need for (and frustrations of) online dating and push singles to make connections in real life.

To join, pay a one-time fee in exchange for 3 silicone rings (1 small, 1 medium, and 1 large), a unique membership number, and access to exclusive MeetUp events for £30. [2] X Research source
The turquoise ring is primarily for people who identify as straight, while the lilac ring is for those who identify as LGBTQ+. [3] X Research source
The rings don’t have any technology inside that track users. Instead, the results of the “experiment” are their customer success stories. [4] X Research source
You can wear your pearº ring on whatever finger you want. [5] X Research source

Pros and Cons of Pearº Rings

Pearº also gives you access to singles nights and IRL dating events that wouldn’t be available otherwise through MeetUp groups.
2 Pearº rings might make people more comfortable to make the first move. One survey found that 53% of single men said that the fear of seeming creepy reduces their likelihood of talking to women. [7] X Research source If single people who want to be pursued wear the pearº ring, it may make men and other people more comfortable hitting on them.
It also may give some people a “green light” to harass other singles. [9] X Research source
If you’re uncomfortable being pursued in a certain environment, like at work, try slipping the ring in your pocket until you’re in the mood to mingle.
Because the rings are to draw in people interested in dating, they may also take away some of the fun and excitement out of taking a chance and asking out someone you find attractive.
One of the best ways to get over the fear of rejection is to figure out the root of it and work on learning to love and value yourself . [12] X Research source
However, although most of these groups have more than 200 members, some of them aren’t super active or have low attendance.
Since most of the groups are in large cities, it might not be worth the purchase for those who live in rural areas.
Other cities include Phoenix , Las Vegas , Philadelphia , Washington D.C. , Miami , Chicago , and Detroit .

Do pearº rings really work?

Dating apps thrive off the idea that people don’t feel comfortable asking someone if they’re single in person anymore. [13] X Research source Pearº rings may just a placebo to push singles to be more confident approaching others. [14] X Research source
Although the rings are an interesting idea, they might not be worth it if not all singles wear them and if the MeetUp groups, events, and additional benefits aren’t well-organized.
Currently, 3 turquoise pearº ring releases have sold out, and the stock in their 4th release is 96% gone. [16] X Research source The brand sells around 1,000 to 2,000 rings per day. [17] X Research source
The number of people that wear pearº rings might also vary depending on where you live. There may be fewer people wearing them in small towns than in cities, for instance.
If you’re single and looking for a real-life connection, the best way to find out if it works is to try it out.

Where did pearº rings come from?

Thursday was created and launched in 2021 by George Rawlings, who previously developed the Honeypot dating app. Both Thursday and pearº are part of Honeypot Dating LTD.
The UK company also has a Thursday Events app for IOS and Android , which is an event platform for singles to meet and connect. [20] X Research source
Online dating might be especially hard for young women. Over 50% of women aged 18 to 34 have experienced harassment or received unwanted sexually explicit messages or photos.
Meeting someone in person reduces the chance of getting catfished or ghosted, and you get a more accurate picture of what they look like, what their energy is like, and who they are. [22] X Research source
For LGBTQ+ communities, pearº’s signaling technique may be old news. LGBTQ+ individuals have used symbols like handkerchiefs and flowers to signify their relationship status for decades. [25] X Research source
Women in Irish communities also used to wear Claddagh rings on their right hand with the heart facing out to show others they’re single and looking for love. [26] X Research source

Expert Q&A

Purchase of the ring might also get you an invitation to PearFest. [27] X Research source PearFest is the world’s largest singles’ festival, which happened last in southwest London in July 2023. [28] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Pearº recommends adding a pear emoji (🍐) to your social media bio to indicate that you’re single. [29] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Pearº rings became more well-known in the UK when Then Great British Bake Off host Allison Hammond showed hers off on Good Morning Britain . [30] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://pearring.co/
↑ https://pearring.co/pages/lgbtqia
↑ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/relationships/a44566954/can-social-experiment-help-me-find-love/
↑ https://pearring.co/en-us
↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202209/9-things-that-can-make-a-man-seem-creepy
↑ https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/dating-app-alternatives
↑ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1948550619866189
↑ https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/meeting-people-in-real-life-without-using-dating-apps
↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/childhood-emotional-neglect/202307/the-fear-of-rejection-can
↑ https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/singles-pear-ring-help-dating-relationship-find-the-one-b1101919.html
↑ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/31/a-friend-said-it-gave-them-hope-four-ways-to-find-love-without-the-apps
↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-61254921
↑ https://www.getthursday.com/
↑ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/02/06/the-virtues-and-downsides-of-online-dating/
↑ https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/09/01/wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve-bracelets-advertise-youre-single/
↑ https://www.lgbtculturalheritage.com/secret-symbols
↑ https://www.irishfamilyhistorycentre.com/article/everything-about-claddagh-ring/
↑ https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-singles-only-festival-is-coming-to-london-in-july-051923
↑ https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/what-pear-ring-social-experiment-26586243
↑ https://pearring.co/en-us/pages/refund-policy

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Millions worldwide join 'pear ring' social experiment to get rid of dating apps

The world's largest dating experiment is currently taking place in a bid to revive creating connections organically over endless swiping online.

For years, millennials have turned to dating apps for hookups and hopes of finding The One . Some reaped the benefits from the likes of Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and Thursday, while others found themselves fatigued by the online scene.

Now, an innovative new project is taking the world by storm – and it involves a green ring.

The Pear Ring, backed by the Canadian store Shopify, are behind the approach and have already sold 91 per cent of its stock.

Those participating in the experiment simply don the ring as a symbol to show they're single and ready to mingle.

"If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they’re single, we wouldn't need dating apps. IRL connection is the mission," the site reads.

Pear encourages singletons to wear the ring at all times. "In a bar, on a train, at the gym, on vacation, at your friend’s wedding, in a restaurant, walking to work. The world is your playground," they wrote.

At £19.99, the Pear Ring has already gained worldwide traction, with the likes of This Morning host Alison Hammond confirming her split from Ben Hawkins

On Tuesday's episode (28 March), she said: "More people are wanting to meet people out and about and having a green ring might be a good idea so that people know you're single.

"As you can see, I've got my single ring on."

TikTokers are also jumping in on the action, with one comment reading: "Interesting, it does feel Black Mirror-ish, but also imagine being in Trader Joes and knowing who's single... A dream."

Another expressed how they'd love to join in on the movement, writing: "It opens up to other singles. Seeing a cute guy and not finding out he's got a girl already. Amazing."

You can find more information on the Pear website here , or by heading over to their Instagram page, @biggestsocialexperiment .

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Singles are ditching dating apps for this special ring to show they're ready to mingle

Calling all singletons! Would you wear a ring that proudly says 'I’m single and ready to mingle'? Well, a bunch of single peeps from around the world are giving it a go.

In an attempt to ditch dating apps, The World’s Biggest Social Experiment has launched the pearº ring for singles to signal that they want to be chatted up IRL, so basically the opposite of an engagement ring.

According to their website: “pearº makes it easy to know who is single around you. A small, subtle ring that makes a BIG statement.”

“This is the most natural way to meet new people in real life.”

Plus when buying yourself a ring you also get a lifetime membership to 'Pearº Club which includes access and update to all singleton events/festivals going on near you.

I mean, it does take away the awkward rejection of “I have a partner”, but is it really easier than just rocking up to someone and asking for their number?

Rings such as promise, engagement and wedding bands have always signified people’s commitment to their relationship, but pearº are hoping to turn that idea on its head. Oh, and the best part is you can wear the ring on any finger you prefer!

According to Vogue , “76 per cent of people are open to being chatted up in real life.”

Instagram account @pubity posted about the pearº ring and since they did, the ring is now 91% sold out. Maybe they’re actually on to something here.

Many singletons flooded the comments with their thoughts on the experiment.

One person who loved the idea wrote: “I lack the confidence to approach many times and use their prob taken as an excuse. This would prob help me. Don't act like this is something foreign y'all. It's just like when they do colour shirts and cups for speed dating.”

Another suggested that the company look into making different colours due to sexual preferences.

“Please make different colours based on sexuality,” they wrote.

While a third said: "I think especially with both rising numbers of neurodivergent people and lack of comfort communicating with strangers post-pandemic, I think it’s awesome. Plus it’ll weed out the negative effects of ego associated with a lack of willingness to be vulnerable. Authenticity is the new social currency and I’m here for it!"

So what do you reckon? Are you more likely to approach a potential partner if you openly knew that they were ready to mingle?!

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The Pear Ring Is The Social Experiment That Aims To Kill Off Dating Apps For Good

If you’re single and actively dating, you know just how frustrating it can be trying to meet someone. Online dating is king when it comes to finding a potential partner, but it’s full of so much toxicity and so few legitimate relationship prospects that it’s downright depressing. That’s where the Pear Ring hopes to change things, and if it’s successful, it could just revamp dating for the better. (And before we go any further, this isn’t sponsored in any way — we legitimately think it’s a cool product people should know about.)

What is the Pear Ring?

The Pear Ring isn’t just a piece of jewelry — though it is that, at its core — it’s also being billed as “the world’s biggest social experiment.” How’s that, you ask? Well, by wearing the teal ring, you send the message to the world that you’re single and open to being chatted up by a sexy stranger. You never know, you might just meet the love of your life this way.

Of course, the Pear Ring does have its limitations. The most obvious one is that unless they know about the experiment, they won’t know what the ring means and take it as a hint to spark up a conversation. And since it’s relatively new and not widespread just yet, there’s a pretty big chance you could still miss out on some great dating possibilities (unless, of course, you initiate them). Still, given that the first batch of rings sold out pretty much immediately (and the second batch is already 91% gone), there’s clearly a huge demand and a big desire for change in the dating world.

Could a ring really kill off dating apps?

Many of us don’t remember a time before dating apps. So, we can’t imagine not using them as the primary way to find people to go out with. However, the more popular apps like Hinge and Tinder have become, the more of a nightmare they’ve turned into for single people who want a real relationship. Ghosting is pretty much a foregone conclusion. So are catfishing, commitmentphobia, and unsolicited dick pics . That’s not to say that dating disasters can’t happen with people you meet IRL. However, at least you waste a lot less time that way. Pear Ring claims it can help with that, and the company’s certainly on the right track.

The idea is to wear your “single ring” pretty much everywhere. Whether you’re going grocery shopping, to the gym, or out to the bar on a Saturday night, the teal jewelry will stand out and hopefully invite others who know its meaning to come over and chat. No need to swipe endlessly to find someone who seems halfway decent. Instead, you can connect face-to-face. That’s something Pear Ring says is desperately needed.

“If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they’re single, we wouldn’t need dating apps. IRL connection is the mission,” the company says in its mission statement.

Pear Ring was launched in the UK but the company ships worldwide. For £19.99 (about $) you get a ring with free shipping, an invite to something called PearFest, which is apparently “the world’s biggest singles festival,” as well as invites to events in your city, should there be any. Is it the key to finding your future spouse? Maybe not, but at this point, anything’s worth a try.

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This dating social experiment wants you to meet people naturally IRL

Swiping left or right is no longer necessary. Pear is a new social experiment that hopes to kindle sparks in the old-fashioned way: with two people naturally striking up a convo.

The bane of the dating experience is now tied to apps like Tinder and Bumble over the past years, and singles around the globe have been swiping like crazy in hopes of finding that one special connection. The pandemic only made the use of dating apps soar. After all, we were stuck indoors, lonely, and longing for companionship.

One of the good things about meeting people on a dating app is that both parties know what they’re getting into. But when shooting your shot with the cute barista or the gym dude, maybe they’re already in a relationship, maybe they’re just unavailable, or if you’re lucky, maybe they’re open to meeting someone.

But a new social experiment aims to take people away from their phones, stop swiping, and bring back old-school dating that starts off with possible meet-cutes—and it all starts with a ring.

[Hero image: Pear]

Introducing Pear, a new dating social experiment

Pear is the self-dubbed “world’s biggest social experiment”. The general concept is simple: singles wear a simple yet fashionable silicone green ring that signals they’re available (it’s a Pear ring—get it? Pairing?). It lessens awkward interactions with people who might already be in a relationship, and though you’ll still have to shoot your shot, you’ll be shooting it with someone who is open to being approached. It’s kinda like shooting from the free-throw line instead of the half-court.

“If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they’re single, we wouldn’t need dating apps,” the website reads. “IRL connection is the mission.”

Aside from the subtle and fashionable ring to signal you’re single, buying one also gets you an invite to an event called Pear Fest as well as “access to exclusive free events in your city”. There are no details though on where or when the event will take place and the list of cities these “free events” will be held at.

The website also makes it clear that this isn’t a subscription. It’s a one-off payment of £19.99 (THB 844)

Glamour Magazine UK , however, reported that some users raised concerns about the concept. “Only dudes will wear these. Women don’t need another reason to be solicited,” one user commented, while another said, “I feel like some people might see the ring as a green light to not leave others alone, wear with caution.”

Whether the experiment takes off, or whether it will even become a thing in Southeast Asia , remains to be seen. But if you’re intrigued and want to get a Pear ring yourself, you can definitely do so on their website . You’re gonna have to do it soon though as the website says that its second release is “ending soon.”

This dating social experiment wants you to meet people naturally IRL

Eric E. Surbano

Senior Writer | Entertainment & Tech

Eric can be found lost in his own world jamming with headphones on while writing when he's not prepping for a DnD session or researching 'Star Wars' galactic history on Wookiepedia. A proud Ravenclaw, he loves playing (and writing about) video games, humming the 'Doctor Who' theme under his breath, and rewatching 'Friends', 'New Girl', and 'The West Wing'.

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Would You Wear a Ring That Says You’re Single?

In a stand against dating apps, online company The World’s Biggest Social Experiment is launching a new concept blowing up globally for singles who want to meet IRL. Basically, it’s a ring for single people.

“ pearº is a small ring that makes it easy to know who is single around you allowing for new connections to happen naturally,” reads an Instagram caption from news outlet, Pubity . “The opposite of an engagement ring so singles don’t have to rely on dating apps.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pubity (@pubity)

But in a world where we’re more okay with being single than ever before, how do we feel about a ring that shows you’re ‘available’? And, will it really foster “natural” meet-cutes?

Let’s get into it.

Firstly, Are Dating Apps Out?

The entire premise of the “pearº” ring is that people don’t want to go on dating apps anymore.

TBH, I can’t argue with this. Being a single person myself, I’m kinda off them. I swipe for a bit and then I get bored. Sometimes, I’ll strike up a conversation with someone cute but it trails off.

As it turns out, many of my single friends and acquaintances feel the same.

I was having a conversation with a male colleague of mine the other day about dating apps. The consensus was — he isn’t into them anymore, either. “I’ve been on a few dates over the years, but nothing ever really comes of them,” he told.

I agreed. While I’ve enjoyed going on dating apps — having had some great conversations, unexpected adventures and even some pretty fun short-lived flings, I’ve never caught true feelings for someone I’ve met through an app.

“I think it’s because I can’t really tell what someone is like through their profile,” he reasons, as we unpack why dating apps haven’t worked for us. “Being attracted to someone is so much more of a ‘vibe’, rather than how they look and chat online. You can’t sense someone’s presence via text.”

I can totally empathise with this sentiment. As someone who identifies as pan/bisexual, I don’t consider myself to have a strict physical type. And, when I think back on the people I’ve had meaningful relationships with — they’ve all been people I’ve met IRL and might not’ve swiped right on.

I asked my 4.3k Instagram following how they were feeling about dating apps right now. Of the 403 followers who responded, 34 per cent said they’d rather stay single than use the ring, while 39 per cent admitted to not wanting to use them, but feeling compelled because they’re “horny af”.

And while they might still be useful for a booty call, a few people responded saying that they felt drained by the process of trying to meet someone great on an app.

“I have just deleted my Hinge account because it’s been leaking my energy,” a girl who works at the organic store across the road from my house replied.

“I just cannot seem to make my profile reflect who I am IRL…so it just feels confronting/draining/triggering TBH. Taking a break from the dating apps and filling my own cup rightttt uppp; then I might start up again when the timing feels more aligned.”

23 per cent said they use apps because that’s how they’ve become familiar with dating in this date and age, while a mere 5 per cent said that they love using dating apps because they love meeting new people.

And this is where pearº comes in.

What Is the Social Experiment All About?

Historically, a ring has signified being ‘taken’ — such as an engagement or wedding ring. Not only are these symbols of commitment to your partner, but also to other people that you aren’t open for business — so to speak.

pearº hopes to switch this tradition on its head, using the same concept for single people to pick each other out of the crowd. According to Vogue , “76 per cent of people are open to being chatted up in real life”, but how do you know who is single or not?

By wearing a pearº ring, you show other single people that you’re single, which then means that they can essentially come up and ask you out.

“Can’t we just accept single life sometimes sucks and is sometimes great and that’s that?” my fellow single friend Hayley asked when I told her about this new social movement.

I get her frustration. When people meet beautiful, single women, their first question is often something like “Why are you single!?”, as though we must be doing something wrong.

In 2023, we’re definitely living in a time where it’s much more widely known that being in a relationship doesn’t always equal happiness. But then, it can also go the other way, where the celebration of singledom can sometimes feel a little performative.

“I think society keeps trying to find ways of being like ‘celebrate single life!! It’s great, freeing, empowering’, but TBH it all feels a little forced and patronising,” Hayley says.

“We don’t need any kind of sartorial statement or day to make us feel better, or show others how ‘nonchalant’ we are about being in a relationship. Not to mention that it’s just another way businesses profit off our emotions.”

So, Will Singles Wear It?

57 per cent of the 403 respondents to my IG story agree with Hayley and reckon that no, they wouldn’t wear a ring to show their singleness. In a modern dating world, where people aren’t afraid to be upfront and communicative, to me, it seems unlikely that this social movement will take off.

“Someone can just ask me out,” a follower, Ingrid, says. “Whatever happened to giving someone cute your number? Who cares if they’re not single!? They can choose whether to message you or not.”

Meanwhile, 22 per cent think it’s a great idea because “that way, people will know when to ask me out”, and, interestingly, 20 per cent would definitely wear it, but only to celebrate singleton — not to attract babes.

However, according to the ring company’s website, they’re 91 per cent sold out. That means, there must quite a few people in the world right now, wearing this new pearº ring, and hoping that other single babes with notice, and know what it means.

To get people hooked, pearº is hosting the World’s First Singles’ Festival, and only ring holders are invited. It looks like they really are trying to start a movement.

My take? If being single isn’t for you, you can join the movement here . If you want to keep doing you and hopefully meet some babes along the way — I don’t know if this ring is for you. That said, I’d definitely encourage every single babe to get comfy asking cute people out IRL. Go to that coffee shop and strike up a convo with the hot barista. Write your number down on a piece of paper and pass it to the babe in your office you’re too afraid to chat to. Ask that friend you’ve always had a crush on out for a drink. Old-school courting is coming into fashion, Bridgerton-style, and preparation is key.

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Can this singles ring help me find The One?

I’m sitting in a bar , waiting to be chatted up. I am, after all, visibly single according to a small, rubbery turquoise ring on my finger. The bar fills, it gets late, I get another drink , nothing happens, then finally, an hour and a half into my stake-out, by which point I’ve become tipsy and have been trying to make it as obvious as possible, flapping my hand around like an air hostess, a tallish man with dark hair comes to speak to me. He’s been sitting with his friends and appeared to have clocked me earlier in the evening. Now he wants to know if I’ve been stood up. “Not quite,” I say as he hovers. Still, the ring seems to work, even if he’s not wearing one himself.

Every now and again one of these gimmicky dating ideas comes along and this one is the Pear ring (£20 for three in small, medium and large sizes). Ten years ago it was “single bracelets”, which you wore for the same reason you’d wear this ring, to “identify” yourself as single and make it clear you’d be game to be approached IRL. Pear rings, described as “the opposite of an engagement ring”, are designed to delete the need for dating apps, something which 10 years ago the (also rubber and loudly-coloured) bracelets couldn’t use as a tag-line.

But by 2022, when 366 million people were using dating apps and those of us on them are getting waterboarded daily by madly modern behaviour like cat-fishing, ghosting and breadcrumbing that can only exist online, no wonder there’s a call for a more retro approach to meeting people. If everyone single wore a ring indicating their relationship status, it would delete the need for apps, the theory goes, as well as any awkward conversations in bars or on the bus while we try to meet someone the old-fashioned way. Pear describe their uprising as the “world’s biggest social experiment”, but while they claim that they’ve already had two sell-out dispatches (of an unknown number) globally, and are now 94 per cent sold out, until they’re still more known I can’t quite see how they’ll work. The company admits that they’re “subtle” but for the first whole week

The creators admit they’re “subtle” but for the first week I’m wearing one, no-one notices whatsoever

It’s only when it’s a Thursday night and I’m sitting alone in a bar wearing it that this tall, dark-haired man notices it, or me, or both. By then he’s less than a metre away and the eyesore of a ring is on the hand I’m using to hold my glass of wine. “I like your rings,” he says, “what’s that one? I’ve never seen one like that before.” He’s looking at my right hand, where there’s an antique Wedgewood ring of my mother’s. I’m confused. “I thought you’d come over because of this one,” I tell him, pointing to the turquoise one on the other hand. His brow scrunches. “What’s that?” he asks. Could he really be chatting me up IRL without a prompt, I wonder?

The idea that people can’t — or won’t, or at least don’t feel comfortable — asking someone if they’re single in person anymore is part and parcel of the dating apps success.

“Especially with the younger generation who grew up on the apps, but also for middle-aged daters who have had to get used to more techy, texting-dating, we’ve become obviously out of practice with speaking in real time without premeditating our responses,” says Martine Davis, founder of Page Introductions, a matchmaking service designed to take things back to basics. It’s the same reason speed-dating and singles nights have come back into fashion, she adds. “The way daters use the apps has become less reliable in so many ways from fake profiles to stretching the truth with personal information and people have got so fed up they want to get back to basics by getting out and getting on with it. A visual clue like a ring is a cute idea, but I’m not sure people are observant enough to spot one,” she admits. “In cities people rush around with their eyes on their phones, minds elsewhere and avoid eye contact at all costs. We’d have to be very aware of what something like a single ring meant in order to decipher what it could mean if we caught a glance that it existed at all.”

What it does do, I guess, is make the wearer feel more single because you keep catching a glimpse of it yourself. It’s a reminder that maybe you could be looking out a bit more and down at your phone less and if that then prompted eye contact with someone and a conversation about dating, then maybe it could actually work, I think. The colour then makes more sense, because it’s an ugly thing. The LGBT version is rainbow-striped but the hetero singles turquoise rubber version is about as far away from sexy as you can get. But maybe that makes it more obvious? I do get a couple of “That’s an…. interesting ring”-type comments (although neither lead to a date).

After a week, I don’t feel any more empowered or noticeable to anyone, and it also seems a bit... hard

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It’s just that after a week, I don’t feel any more empowered or noticeable to anyone, and it also seems a bit... hard. If we just opened with “are you single?” would we not get there along a far less meandering route? I tried this in a bar (with the ring on — not that he noticed) and the guy said, “Sort of… I’m in an open relationship” so I walked away. Job done. Messy. “Open” relationships are not for me but if we’re to use this as an example it looks like the ring is at least making me more flirtatious.

“Most people would love to know if that attractive stranger who’s caught their eye is definitely single before approaching so the idea of wearing a physical symbol of your availability and sexuality on paper sounds appealing,” says dating expert Hayley Quinn. “But it’s important to remember that while a ring might let you know who’s open to a conversation, it’s far from a given that there will be mutual interest. Ring or no ring, people will still have to go through the process of filtering who they want to go on to date. But even with the complexities involved, meeting people spontaneously in real life is a wonderful thing to explore if you’re single. If using a Pear ring helps you feel more able to do that, then it may be worth wearing just for that reason,” she explains.

I decide to try the ring in different locations after the initial bar experiment, sporting in on the bus, on a train, in the supermarket and essentially everywhere else I go for three weeks. Does it get me more dates? Unfortunately, not. It’s only when I hang it round a chain on my neck that anyone seems to clock it’s there, but the two times that happens (one male, one female) both ask only, “What’s that?” rather than, “Should we go out for a drink?” When I explain it’s a single ring, they both ask, “Why?”

Women, particularly, can’t get used to the idea. Fed up of guessing what people think of it, I decide to ask various people in bars and female opinion is beyond confused. “What’s the point though?” they say, after I echo the Pear ring philosophy. According to Quinn, women take much comfort in being able to decline unwanted come-ons by saying they’re already in a relationship, so maybe that’s part of it. When it comes to men, none can imagine wearing one, but eight out of 10 I ask admit they’ve been made to feel that IRL chat-ups are unwanted and “too much”. “You don’t want to be one of those creeps accused of harassing someone or whatever,” one 31-year-old man tells me.

What a shame that some men have ruined it for other men, I thought (knowing they had), but still believing there’s a way back to the IRL connection that everyone craves. If we could all just be a bit nicer to each other, maybe we wouldn’t need to buy rings or bracelets and “out” ourselves as single. There’s also the fact that these are plastic and with three different sizes sent to every person (and presumably the two that don’t fit are thrown away), it’s not exactly an eco-way to find a date. Anything that rebrands being single as more positive, I’ll try, and when all your friends are getting engaged it’s nice to feel that you can also wear your relationship status on your hand.

Yet maybe we could all just modernise the most basic chat-up line in the book (“are you single?”) and see where that gets us, I had to conclude after three weeks of pretty diabolic results from the ring. There’s nothing like losing something — in this case IRL interaction — to remember how much you missed it, right?

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What is a Pear Ring? Alison Hammond and millions of others join dating social experiment

ITV presenter Alison Hammond has joined millions of singletons in wearing a Pear Ring, a social experiment that aims to take over from the apps that dominate the dating world

09:58, 31 Mar 2023

In the modern world it can be hard to meet new people if you find yourself single and looking for the one. Many people turn to dating apps because they are the easiest and quickest ways, but they present their own challenges.

It's hard to show off your best self in a dating profile – and it's also hard to know someone's true intensions. Among other things, an increasing amount of people have also voiced their dismay at the rising cost of subscription feel.

Instead, many are taking part in the "world's biggest social experiment" in the hopes of getting sparks to fly the old-fashioned way – by striking up a conversation with a stranger.

The Pear Ring Scheme sees singletons all around the world wear a teal coloured ring to publicly declare their dating status.

ITV's Alison Hammond was spotted wearing a 'single ring' during a discussion about dating apps on This Morning .

Appearing to confirm she had split from partner Ben Hawkins, the 48-year-old said: "More people are wanting to meet people out and about and having a green ring might be a good idea so that people know you're single.

"As you can see, I've got my single ring on."

What is a Pear Ring?

Dubbed the "world's largest social experiment," the Pear Ring is used to signify that you are single, in order to help limit awkward interactions where you're unsure.

It works in the opposite way to an engagement ring, showing the world that you're on the market.

Those who are participating in the experiment simply wear the official green ring from The Pear Ring, which is backed by Canadian store Shopify.

On the official website, it says: "If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they're single, we wouldn't need dating apps. IRL connection is the mission."

Those taking part are encouraged to wear the band at all times. The website explains: "In a bar, on a train, at the gym, on vacation, at your friend's wedding, in a restaurant, walking to work. The world is your playground."

How to take part

You can buy the teal-coloured ring from The Pear Ring website for £19.99, The first release has already sold out, and it says the second release is "ending soon" and is already "91% sold out".

Once you have paid the "one-off participation fee to join the experiment," you can wear the ring on any finger.

According to the website, you'll be issued a unique membership number, and you'll be invited to "PearFest" as well as get "access to exclusive free events in your city".

You can learn more by heading to the brand's Instagram page .

Would you wear a Pear Ring? Let us know in the comment section below.

Get the app

Forget apps, could this ring bring dating back to the real world?

Billed as ‘the world's biggest social experiment’, wearing the Pear Ring signals that you're single and open to dating

Updated 1 year ago · Published on 20 Apr 2023 11:00AM

Forget apps, could this ring bring dating back to the real world?

RATHER than signalling that they're married, a ring could be a means for singles to identify each other.

This is the idea behind the "Pear Ring," a ring worn by single people who are open to dating. And inevitably, the concept has not gone unnoticed on social networks.

Is this the end of dating apps? It doesn't seem so yet, but one real-world object is seeking to draw people away from the world of online dating. That object is a simple ring, with a plain design and no fancy embellishments, in a green-to-turquoise shade.

Its name is the "Pear Ring." And by wearing it on one of your fingers, you can tell the world that you are single and open to dating.

"If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they’re single, we wouldn't need dating apps. IRL connection is the mission," explains the website of Pear, the brand behind the ring.

And according to the company, the "Pear Ring" is proving a real success. The first batch is all sold out, and the second has already sold 93% of its stock.

Online, the ring is billed as "the world's biggest social experiment," and "the in real life social experiment taking the world by storm."

Behind this marketing, Pear is tapping into a genuine effect: dating app fatigue and the desire to bring dating back into the real world.

According to a study conducted by YouGov and the dating app Once, reported by L’ADN , 83% of French users of dating applications say they are dissatisfied because of the disappointing behaviour of other users, the aggressiveness of interactions and the feeling of wasting time.

In a separate 2020 study , 57% of Millennials feel that online dating rarely leads to a serious relationship.

In the UK, three out of four singles would like to meet their partner in real life, according to figures from The Inner Circle app.

And that's where the "Pear Ring" comes in.

In addition to being an icebreaker and an easy conversation starter (without the fear of hitting on someone already in a relationship), this US$20 (about RM88) ring comes with a "unique membership number" that gives the owner access to PearFest, the "world's first singles festival," according to Pear.

These real-life events are currently reserved for a handful English-speaking countries – the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia – but other countries should soon join the list.

On social networks, opinions are mixed about the idea of this ring.

"I think this is great, it engages people on a personal level instead of trying to communicate through a screen," said one Twitter user .

"If this empowers women to shoot their shot, I’m all for it... The real problem is men don’t know how to respectfully approach women anymore or even take a signal of interest," explains another.

Others, on the contrary, make fun of the ring, notably using pictures of the Green Lantern heroes, also known for wearing a green ring .

For most people, this ring is not only absurd, but also far from being revolutionary.

One internet user reacting to hearing about the "Pear Ring" said : "Multiple grocery stores in Norway implemented a special cart for those who are single, which kinda worked in a way. Genius & simple way to indicate to others that you are open to being approached."

And this is not the only place that has used this kind of system. Many discotheques, often for Valentine's Day events, for example, offer coloured bracelets to identify single people open to dating, as well as people already in couples or not looking for love. –ETX Daily Up, April 20, 2023

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Jun 25, 2023

The Pear Ring - Speed Dating Isn't the Only Way Singles Are Turning Their Backs on Dating Apps

Updated: Sep 7, 2023

Dating apps have become synonymous with exhaustion and limited results. Recognizing the need for a shift in how people connect, a new startup has introduced the Pear ring —an innovative solution that aims to bridge the gap between virtual and real-life interactions. In this blog post, we'll explore the concept behind the Pear ring, its potential impact on the dating landscape, and the varied opinions surrounding this social experiment.

The Pear ring, priced at $25, has quickly gained attention as "the world's biggest social experiment." Designed to facilitate offline connections, this small turquoise band holds the promise of revitalizing how people meet and interact. Unlike dating apps, Pear encourages real-life conversations and serves as a visual signal that the wearer is open to meeting new people. The initial release of the Pear ring sold out swiftly, and the second release is expected to follow suit.

By donning the Pear ring, wearers create opportunities for spontaneous conversations in everyday settings—coffee shops, bars, vacations, or any place where singles can engage with fellow ring wearers. The concept has struck a chord with individuals experiencing dating app fatigue, providing a refreshing alternative to the digital dating landscape.

While Pear claims that millions of people have embraced the ring, the exact number of rings sold remains undisclosed. However, the increasing demand and the growing number of followers on their Instagram account hint at its popularity.

The Pear ring's ambition lies in its vision to disrupt the dating app industry by fostering real-life connections. Dating app culture has made it increasingly challenging for individuals to approach potential partners offline, resulting in a decline in face-to-face interactions. Research reveals that despite the desire to meet partners in person, many singles feel nervous about initiating conversations in real life.

Critics argue that the Pear ring may not be a comprehensive solution to dating app disillusionment. While it offers a way to start conversations and potentially circumvent the fear of rejection, it does not address the underlying issue—the fear itself. Rejection is an inherent part of the dating experience, and embracing it is essential for personal growth.

Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety implications for women wearing the ring, as it may attract unwanted attention or solicitation. Additionally, some question whether the Pear ring is merely a commercialized addition to the dating realm, leveraging consumerism to facilitate connections that would naturally occur without it.

The Pear ring introduces an intriguing social experiment that challenges the dominance of dating apps by emphasizing real-life connections. Its potential to reshape the dating landscape remains to be seen. While some view it as an exciting opportunity to spark organic conversations, others express skepticism about its long-term impact. As the dating landscape evolves, innovative approaches like the Pear ring prompt us to rethink how we meet and connect with potential partners, ultimately paving the way for a more diverse and fulfilling dating experience.

Dating Advice

Special ring that tells people you're single created for folks tired of dating apps

The pear ring is a new "social experiment" trying to connect folks irl, not online..

Dating never stays the same.

Why, it feels like it was only yesterday when dating apps were the shiny new trend in the singles world. However, with life becoming increasingly more virtual, many people are looking to become less dominated by screens. As a result, folks are once again hoping to find love from an authentic connection IRL. Swiping just isn’t as romantic (or cutting edge) as it used to be.

By wearing their Pear ring anywhere and everywhere—the gym, the coffee shop, at an event, etc—single people would theoretically open up more of those kismet interactions, without having to be constantly online.

See on Instagram

According to the Pear ring website, the first release has already sold out, with the second release ending soon. And while there’s no hard data sharing just how many people have purchased, the company ambitiously aims to have “millions” donning one.

Hard to say if the trend will take hold, but folks are certainly talking about it. Television personality Alison Hammond was seen on “This Morning” wearing one, or at least something similar to the Pear ring with the same symbolism. According to The Mirror , she said, "More people are wanting to meet people out and about and having a green ring might be a good idea so that people know you're single.”

"As you can see, I've got my single ring on,” she said.

Meanwhile on TikTok , reviews seem mixed, with some feeling like this public display is out of their comfort zone . Others felt like it could help them avoid the awkwardness of going up to a person they like and finding out they’re already committed. Or for those who are just introverted overall, this would be a great way to passively initiate.

@amandabril Would you wear a ring to identify if you’re single??? #pearring #datingapps #dating #news #oddnews ♬ original sound - Amanda Brilhante

This comment seems to really cover the gamut: “It does feel Black Mirror-ish, but also imagine being in Trader Joe's and knowing who's single... A dream."

One thing seems to be certain—people miss genuine connection and want a romantic landscape that protects their mental health. We see this in multiple aspects of dating , from a recent uptick in “sober dates ,” where singles share a fitness class instead of meeting at a bar, to mixing dating with travel adventures, to dating outside of a normal “type” to simply setting stronger boundaries.

Sure, online dating might not be a thing of the past just yet. But it is cool to see that social experiments like the Pear ring exist, so that, if nothing else, we can be reminded that there is always a way to prioritize humanity no matter how high-tech our modern world becomes.

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Psychologist shares 15-second trick to make kids of any age less rude and more cooperative

All it takes is a single question..

A child being rude.

Sometimes, it can feel like half of parenting is repeating yourself over and over again, asking your child to brush their teeth or take a dish from the living room to the sink. It’s exhausting and makes you feel like a nag. Don't you wish there was a simple way to make your kids listen the first time?

Dr. Rebecca Kennedy , aka “Dr. Becky,” is a clinical psychologist and founder and CEO of Good Inside who says she has a quick way to make your kids more cooperative and less rude. Talk about killing two soul-crushing birds with one parenting stone.

Dr. Beckly got into psychology after growing up with anorexia as a teenager.

“Okay, no matter how old your kid is, you can use this 15-second tip to decrease rudeness and increase cooperation,” she says in a TikTok video with over 32,000 views. “Find your child today and ask them this question. 'Hey, I was just wondering, what could I do better as your parent?'”

The psychologist says that even if the child has a random or impractical answer such as “Let me stay up ‘til midnight” or “I’d like to eat macaroni and cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” just to listen. Simply by listening, you can change your child’s behavior.

She says we should also ask more questions to further the conversation: “Tell me more. What would that be like?”

Want to improve your relationship with your kid in less than 15 seconds? Watch this reel for a quick-win strategy.

@drbeckyatgoodinside Want to improve your relationship with your kid in less than 15 seconds? Watch this reel for a quick-win strategy. The best part: When we use strategies like this in calm moments, we reduce the frequency of difficult moments with our kids. Of course, I’m a realist… I know you need in-the-moment strategies too! Cue: My Conquering Problem Behaviors Workshop. You’ll get an entire toolbox of in-the-moment and outside-the-moment strategies for reducing outbursts and strengthening your bond with your kid. Learn more in the link in bio!

“I mean, imagine your boss coming to you randomly and asking how they could be a better manager to you. Just by asking the question and listening,” she continued. Dr. Becky says that asking our kids how we’re doing as parents communicates three essential ideas: “I care about you. I respect you. I'm invested in this relationship.”

This type of questioning builds a connection with a child that can spill over into other behaviors. “You're building connection. And with more connection always comes more cooperation,” she ends the video.

The big takeaway from the video is that when we enhance our connection with our kids, they will be less likely to disobey or be rude because they feel heard and respected, so there’s no need to act out. They will also return that respect by listening to you when you have a request, such as taking out the trash or putting down their phone and coming to dinner.

Some people in the comments got funny responses when they asked their kids what they could improve. “I asked my 5yr old. I got a mildly scathing look and she said ‘erm, maybe try and burn dinner less next time?’” Collette wrote. “My 5 yo told me to look better and get a haircut,” Mark Amend added.

Dr. Becky’s quick question is a great way for parents to strengthen their relationships when things are going well instead of trying to forge connections during conflict. It’s a great reminder that even when parenting, an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.

Dr. Becky sums up the importance of prevention in her TikTok caption: “When we use strategies like this in calm moments, we reduce the frequency of difficult moments with our kids,” she wrote.

This article originally appeared on 6.6.24

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Best menopause supplements: 5 top products for hot flashes, night sweats, and more

Find relief with these top-rated supplements for managing menopause symptoms naturally.

Menopause can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms, but the best menopause supplements can provide serious relief. Whether you're struggling with night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings, or all of the above, supplements can be an effective, natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

We understand your need for high-quality ingredients and expert formulations. We recommend these high-quality products to help manage menopause symptoms.

Best Menopause Supplements

Best Overall Menopause Supplement: Cornbread CBD Sleep Gummies
Best Way to Absorb Vitamin D for Mood Swings: BIOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough Drink
Best Traditional Chinese Medicine for Libido: Beam Drive
Best Black Cohosh for Hot Flashes: Aura Essential Menopause Gummy
Best for Pre-Menopause Symptoms: Ladywell Daily Hormone Balance Bundle

Are dietary supplements safe?

Dietary supplements are safe if the ingredients they contain, like omega 3 fatty acids, are safe. However, evaluate the safety and efficacy of the active ingredients of your chosen supplements, and always ask your doctor first. Also, check that the supplement has been lab-tested and found free of common contaminants, like heavy metals and mold spores.

1. Best Overall Menopause Supplement: Cornbread CBD Sleep Gummies

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Although research about the effectiveness of CBD on menopause symptomsis limited, the sleep-supporting benefits of CBD are well-known. Better sleep often reduces menopause symptoms. Cornbread CBD Sleep Gummies are some of the best on the market. Enhanced with chamomile, reviewers say they effectively support sleep, mental health, and physical health during menopause.

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2. Best Way to Absorb Vitamin D for Mood Swings: BIOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough Drink

Women who struggle with mood swings find BIOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough very helpful in managing this and their other menopausal symptoms. This powdered supplement contains eight types of magnesium to help calm your mind, support bone health, and promote better sleep. Magnesium helps your body absorb more vitamin D, which in turn can alleviate menopausal symptoms. Reviewers love the flavor of this vegetarian powder, which is sweetened with natural Katemfe fruit extract.

Comes in three fruity flavors
Vegetarian, organic, and sugar-free
Made in the U.S.
Some customers find it too sweet
Size : 156 g per jar
Key Ingredient(s) : Magnesium Proprietary Blend

Learn more about BIOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough today

3. Best Traditional Chinese Medicine for Libido: Beam Drive

Women who struggle with low libido, vaginal dryness, and related menopausal symptoms find Beam Drive helpful. This encapsulated supplement is a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy. It's formulated with maca root (studies suggest it may balance estrogen levels in menopausal women). Reviewers note increased libido within weeks. Post-menopausal women also benefit from this complementary and integrative health supplement.

Suitable for men and women
Vegan and gluten-free
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Results can take several weeks to develop fully
Size : 60 capsules per jar
Key Ingredient(s) : Organic Maca Root Powder, L-Arginine, Epimedium, Saw Palmetto Extract, Longjack, and Shilajit

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4. Best Black Cohosh for Hot Flashes: Aura Essential Menopause Gummy

The Aura Essential Menopause Gummy is a clean, all-natural choice for hot flashes. These gummies are made with black cohosh and chasteberry, the most common herbs for easing hot flashes and balancing estrogen levels. Reviewers note feeling physically and mentally comfortable after a few days of taking them.

Made with U.S.-sourced ingredients
Fast-acting
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Strong herbal aftertaste
Size : 60 gummies per jar
Key Ingredient(s) : Magnolia Bark Extract, Black Cohosh, Chasteberry Extract

Learn more about Aura Essential Menopause Gummy today

5. Best for Pre-Menopause Symptoms: Ladywell Daily Hormone Balance Bundle

To ease initial menopausal symptoms, try Ladywell Daily Hormone Balance Bundle. It comes with Daily Hormone Balance capsules and an adaptogenic latte mix. Made with functional mushrooms, B vitamins, and herbs, this bundle may reduce hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and other menopausal symptoms.

Formulated with clinically proven ingredients
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Only available in one flavor
Size : Capsules: 60 capsules per jar; Latte Mix: 8 ounces per bag
Key Ingredient(s) : Ashwagandha, Shatavari, Chasteberry, Wild Yam, Dong Quai, Black Cohosh, Saffron, B Vitamins, and Amino Acids

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How To Find The Best Dietary Supplements for Your Menopausal Symptoms

Our top factors to consider when shopping for supplements to ease menopause symptoms:

Ingredients: Evaluate active ingredients to determine whether it’s been clinically shown to ease menopausal symptoms.
Lab-Testing: Has the product been lab-tested for purity and potencyto ensure it’s safe?
Reported Effects : Do reviewers report experiencing the benefits you're most interested in?
Company Policies: The best supplements to reduce menopause symptoms come from companies with good customer service and excellent guarantees.

Potential Benefits of Taking Menopause Supplements

Fewer Hot Flashes: Better temperature regulation, day and night.
Steady Moods: Balance mood swings and prevent irritability.
Better Sleep: Improved sleep leads to fewer menopausal symptoms.
Bone Health: Supplements with magnesium , calcium, and vitamin D significantly help maintain healthy bones.
Overall Wellness: Some supplements may protect against breast cancer and heart disease.

Potential Side Effects of Taking Menopause Supplements

Nausea: If you experience nausea, try taking your supplement with a snack.
Drowsiness: Ingredients like CBD and Ashwagandha make some people tired.
Headaches: Some women have minor headaches when adapting to a new supplement.

Can I take menopause supplements with other medication?

Maybe. If you take other medications for your menopausal symptoms, check with your doctor before taking supplements.

How often should I take menopause supplements?

Most supplements for menopausal symptoms are designed to be taken once a day; check each supplement label for dosage instructions.

Finding The Best Menopause Supplements for You

If you've been struggling with menopausal symptoms, the supplements featured here can help. We have confidence in the products recommended here, and hope they bring you relief from hot flashes and more.

13 comics use 'science' to hilariously illustrate the frustrations of parenting.

"Newton's First Law of Parenting: A child at rest will remain at rest ... until you need your iPad back."

Kids grab everywhere.

Norine Dworkin-McDaniel's son came home from school one day talking about Newton's first law of motion.

He had just learned it at school, her son explained as they sat around the dinner table one night. It was the idea that "an object at rest will remain at rest until acted on by an external force."

"It struck me that it sounded an awful lot like him and his video games," she joked.

A writer by trade and always quick to turn a phrase, Norine grabbed a pen and scribbled some words:

And just like that, she started creating "The Science of Parenthood," a series that names and identifies hilarious, universal parenting struggles. She put in a quick call to her friend Jessica Ziegler, a visual and graphics expert, and together the two set out to bring the project to life.

Here are some of their discoveries:

1. Newton's first law of parenting

A taste of the “gimmies."

2. The sleep geometry theorem

There’s plenty of room.

3. The baby fluids effusion rule

4. the carnival arc, 5. the archimedes bath-time principle.

Clean up the clean up.

6. Schrödinger's backpack

Homework... ehh.

7. The naptime disruption theorem

Who needs sleep. It’s rhetorical.

8. Calculation disintegration

I have a calculator on my phone.

9. Chuck e-conomics

How much does that cost?

10. Plate tectonics

Where’s the chicken tenders?

11. Silicaphobia

Oh good, sunburns.

12. Delusions of launder

When did we get all these clothes?

13. The Costco contradiction

I want them now, not then.

Norine and Jessica's work struck a nerve with parents everywhere.

Norine said almost every parent who sees the cartoons has a similar reaction: a quiet moment of recognition, followed by a huge laugh as they recognize their own families in the illustrations.

But is there more to it than just getting a few chuckles? You bet, Norine and Jessica said.

"Even, at the worst possible moments, you're standing there, your child has just vomited all over you, or you've opened up the diaper and your kid is sitting waist deep in liquid ****. Even at that moment, it's not really that bad," Norine said. "You will be able to laugh at this at some point."

"It gets better. You're not alone in this parenting thing."

This article originally appeared on 11.30.16

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Longevity test: If you can hang from a bar this long, you’re likely to live longer

Hang time is a great measurement of overall health..

A man and a woman doing dead hangs.

Would you really want to know how long you have to live? On one hand, it’d probably inspire you to go out and complete your bucket list. On the other, it may be depressing to know just how many days you have left.

Well, science has yet to discover a way to determine the average person's life expectancy. However, some indicators can show whether someone is in danger of having their life cut short by deteriorating health.

A study published by Clinical Interventions in Aging in 2019 determined that handgrip strength can be a reliable proxy for how long one has to live. One of the best ways to judge handgrip strength is to time how long you can hang from a bar. To test your grip strength, find yourself a pull-up bar, whether at a gym or local park, take a deep breath and start hanging.

The study found that 30 seconds is a good target for women and 60 is an excellent goal for men. Therefore, if you go longer than the goal, you’re looking at a long life. But if you can’t quite get there, your life may be shorter than you’d like.

Dr. Peter Attia believes that grip strength is a great way to determine one’s overall health.

“It's just a great proxy for overall body strength and muscle mass, but I think it's also a very functional form of strength,” he said on “The Drive” podcast. “Basically, everything in your upper body is mediated through your hands. And if your grip is weak, everything Downstream of that is weak. When you watch someone, who's got a weak grip deadlifting. It's very difficult for them to deadlift correctly because they don't create a proper wedge.

Doctors Eve M. Glazier and Elizabeth Ko at UCLA Health say poor grip strength is connected to numerous diseases. “Research continues to link a decline in grip strength to a range of adverse health issues, including heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. It has also been found to be a predictor of the likelihood of post-surgical complications, post-surgical recovery time and mortality,” they wrote on the UCLA Health blog.

Weight can also significantly affect how long a person can hang from a bar. So don’t lighter people have an unfair advantage advantage than those on the heavier side? Well, weight is also an important indicator of longevity. A study published in Aging Cell found a direct correlation between increased body mass and decreased longevity.

The good news for people who didn’t quite make their hang time goal is that you can improve it by practicing dead hangs.

How to perform a dead hang (according to Healthline ):

Use a secure overhead bar. Use a step or bench to reach the bar with your arms easily. You don’t want to jump straight into a dead hang.
Grip the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you). Aim to keep your arms shoulder-width apart.
Move your feet off the step or bench so you’re hanging on to the bar.
Keep your arms straight and stay relaxed.
If you’re new to the exercise, hang for 10 seconds. Then, work your way up to 45 seconds to 1 minute at a time.
Slowly step back onto the step or bench before releasing your arms. Repeat up to 3 times if you wish.
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'Sleep training' is a heated debate in the parenting world. It shouldn't be.

Any parent who takes a definitive stance on sleep training needs to understand a few things..

Parents debate whether it's wrong to sleep train babies.

Welcoming a new baby to the world is a wonderful but daunting experience, and no matter how much you try to prepare, there will always be something you aren't fully prepared for.

For many parents, that thing is lack of sleep.

You can hear parents talk about exhaustion and sleep deprivation and still be wholly unprepared for what a baby who isn't a great sleeper does to to your psyche. It's no surprise that many parents turn to parenting books and "experts" to try to figure out how to get their babies to sleep, which is where the idea of "sleep training" comes in.

Sleep training is a broad term for teaching or training a baby to go to sleep (or back to sleep) without needing to be soothed by a parent or other caregiver. There are many sleep training methods that range from fairly common sense to borderline abuse, which is one reason it seems to spark big debates between parents. Everyone's talking about a different method when they defend or vilify sleep training.

Sleep training usually involves letting a baby fuss or cry for some length of time, which some see as problematic because of research on the importance of responding to babies' cries. Others say that a little crying is a small price to pay because it's healthier in the long run for baby and parents to get good sleep.

Of course, there's a huge difference between "crying or fussing for a few minutes" and "wailing and screaming with no end in sight," and that's where the big disconnect comes in. For some parents, sleep training entails the former, and it works, so they swear by it. For others, it entails the latter, and it's a nightmare, so they think it's horrible.

There's also a huge difference between "I'd love it if my baby would sleep all night without waking" and "I think I might die if I don't get a 4-hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep." Desperation makes many parents who might not love the idea of sleep training to give it a go.

I have some personal experience with this. My first baby wasn't a great sleeper. I remember thinking, at six weeks postpartum, "There's no way a person can survive on this little sleep." I adored my baby, but the sleep deprivation from waking up several times a night for weeks on end felt like literal torture.

She started sleeping through the night when she was a few months old, but that didn't last long. Teething happened. Then crawling happened. It seemed like just when she'd get into a nice sleep routine, some milestone would throw us right back to waking up and crying multiple times a night. She slept in our room next to our bed, so it was easy enough to nurse her back to sleep, but it was still night after night of disrupted sleep.

I was desperate to try something, but I wasn't keen on the idea of sleep training. It's a natural instinct to respond to your baby's cries, so walking away didn't feel right. One book had suggested leaving the baby in their crib to cry by themselves and not pick them up no matter what. If they got so upset that they threw up, you were just to clean them up and do the same thing again. Um, no thank you.

But I had heard other parents say they tried different sleep training methods that involved leaving them to cry for just a few minutes, going in to pat/comfort them, leaving them again for a little longer, and going back and forth until they eventually fall asleep. I read so many parents say something like, "It took like 15 minutes of fussing for them to fall asleep the first night, 5 minutes the second and after that they just went right to sleep and didn't wake up until morning!"

That sounded reasonable. So I tried it, a couple of times.

It went nothing like how those parents described. Not even close.

First of all, my baby did not "fuss." It was full-on crying, wailing and screaming with snot and drool involved. Secondly, there was no patting her to calm her down—she would only calm down if I picked her up. Third, the wailing when I left the room didn't ever subside, it only got worse and worse. I felt like I was torturing my baby and it was breaking my mama heart, so we gave it up.

I have no doubt that those parents were telling the truth about how sleep training worked with their child. It just absolutely did not work that way with mine.

That baby is now 24 and has slept in her own bed all night for over two decades. My other two kids had their own sleep personalities as babies—one of them super easy and the other more like my first. I didn't do anything different to make them that way—it's just how they were. It was hard sometimes. We co-slept as needed. It all worked out in the end.

There are a few things I know for sure after parenting three kids and talking with countless other parents:

1) Every baby, child and family is different and what works for one won't necessarily work for another. As long as no one is actually being abused or neglected, do what works for your kid and your family.

2) Anyone who offers definitive, one-size-fits-all advice on any part of parenting is flat-out wrong. One size most definitely does not fit all.

3) Sleep is important, but unless you've slept a night in their bed, don't judge a parent for how they choose to handle sleep with their baby. What's right for you may not be right for them.

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The world's biggest social experiment

Single and in the LGBTQ+ community 🏳‍🌈 ? Introducing pearº - the in real life social experiment taking the world 🌎 by storm. #NotADatingApp

“76% of people are open to being chatted up in real life"

One ring worn by every single person

pearº makes it easy to know who is single around you and open to meeting new people IRL. A small, subtle ring that makes a BIG statement.

Wear pear° wherever you go

In a bar, on a train, at the gym, on vacation, at your friend’s wedding, in a restaurant, walking to work. Connecting the world without filters and apps.

81% SOLD OUT. This is NOT a subscription. Just a one-off participation fee to join the experiment 💚 pearº can be worn on any finger you choose 🖐

Ring holders will be issued a unique membership number, get invited to PearFest + get access to exclusive events in your city 🥂

Select Size

What is the participation fee?

Tell me more about the experiment, where is the experiment live, when will my ring be delivered, delivery and returns, i haven't received an order confirmation email, millions of 🏳️‍🌈 singles will be wearing this ring, this is not another dating app, the opposite of an engagement ring, sun 18 aug:, post your pearº ring and tag @biggestsocialexperiment.

The Biggest Single's Festival

pearº will host the World’s First Singles’ Festival once the experiment has optimal participants. ONLY ring holders are invited.

The social experiment is now LIVE.

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For any order queries email [email protected] . For press enquires please email [email protected] . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT OF YOUR EMAIL.

American Express
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Check shipping address is correct when using Apple Pay.

Refund Policy

Shipping Info

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One-off participation fee includes:

Be part of the community that's changing the way singles meet 💚

Includes FREE 2-day shipping 📦

X3 official pear° rings in S, M & L 👐

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FREE 2-day shipping. NB: we can't ship to PO boxes.

How to measure for your pearº ring size

Zoom in and out of this page until a credit card fits precisely within the green line in the image opposite.

Then place an existing ring on the circle that most closely matches the inside circumference of yours.

If in doubt, go smaller as the silicone ring is flexible.

Alternatively, mark the circumference of your finger on a ribbon of paper and measure the distance between the lines.

Then use the ruler and table below to find your ring size from the circumference.

Choose the size that is closest to your measurement.

If in doubt, go for a smaller size, as the silicone ring is flexible.

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How Pear’s social experiment is combatting dating app fatigue

Posted 27 July, 2023

A new startup called Pear wants to eliminate our reliance on tech to foster romance. Its small green ring encourages singles across the globe to make organic connections.

Earlier this year, we asked whether dating apps have taken the fun out of falling in love on the back of revelations that an estimated 56 per cent of people using them feel inherently negative about it.

With this sentiment to be expected considering many of these services promote swiping through potential matches like online products, our final verdict was a resounding yes .

In spite of success rates (which for the most part are on the decline ), deciding on something as meaningful as a future life partner from behind a screen is arguably as dystopian as it gets.

The process of curating ourselves, dedicating hours to assessing our options, desperately bobbing and weaving ghosters, scammers, or time-wasters, and sustaining virtual conversations – all before verifying the ‘connection’ IRL – has become a real slog.

Echoing this is Pear , a new startup that’s earned itself a substantial amount of virality in the last month for offering singles a tech-free means of finding ‘the one’.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by pear° (@biggestsocialexperiment)

Hoping to eliminate our reliance on the likes of Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble and revive fostering romance organically, the premise of the ‘world’s biggest social experiment’ is simple: wear a small, turquoise band on your finger to show that you’re available and ready to mingle.

That’s it. The goal is that two strangers will meet in public, notice the flash of teal, and embark upon their journey towards relationship territory. Think university traffic light parties at scale.

‘If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they’re single, we wouldn’t need dating apps. IRL connection is the mission,’ reads a statement on its website, which also claims that 100% of the profits are committed to expanding its reach.

‘I am pro anything that ignites excitement in dating,’ relationship expert Anna Williamson told Cosmopolitan .

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Study shows Gen Z hide interests to seem cooler when dating

‘People are wanting to get offline. Face-to-face connections will always trump being behind a piece of tech because you have the full sensory experience, which is vital.’

So far, the first and second releases of its stock has sold out – there were apparently 500,000 rings in circulation at the end of May – and it has amassed almost 230K followers on Insta.

Pear is said to be selling approximately 1,000 to 2,000 rings a day and recently launched a lilac version to cater specifically to the LGBTQ+ community.

Regardless of Pear’s evident popularity, however, there are reservations.

‘I fear some men taking that ring as a green light to be weirder than we already are. Y’all ladies wear these with caution,’ commented an Instagram user. ‘You always could just actually say hi and chat. Surely if they were single or not – you’d find out’, said another.

Nevertheless, by tapping into pervasive dating app fatigue and the struggle to move dating offline, the startup has gained a lot of traction.

Offering a welcome break from often soulless digital flirting, Pear is using the growing appeal of face-to-face interactions to its advantage.

Even though approaching someone in the street and facing the prospect of humiliation is still daunting, according to Inner Circle ’s research, 3 in 4 British singles would prefer to meet a future partner in person.

With this in mind, Pear may wind up being a good idea. For too long we’ve used dating apps to lessen the sting of rejection and neglected to accept that they’ve also dampened the joy of dating’s nascent stages.

Will it serve as a tangible solution and render the industry redundant, or is it merely symptomatic of our dating app disillusionment? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Or you could just keep your eyes peeled for a green ring next time you hit the town.

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Deputy Editor & Media Partnership Manager at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter , LinkedIn , and drop me some ideas/feedback via email .

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What is the Pear Ring? The social experiment for singletons that are tired of dating apps

New great british bake off host alison hammond recently flashed her pear ring on good morning britain.

15:18, 29 MAR 2023
Updated 16:24, 29 MAR 2023

The Pear Ring is to be worn out and about

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For many single people in 2023, online dating can be a slog. Once the quickest and easiest places to find a partner, dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble and Hinge have become a struggle.

An increasing number of people have reported their displeasure at the rising cost of subscriptions fees, bots, an overwhelming amount of choice and other pet peeves that have been turning them off swiping for love.

READ MORE: Slow texters, flashy pictures and paying for Tinder Gold - What gives people the 'ick' on dating apps?

People searching for love who are tired of dating apps are turning to ‘the world’s biggest social experiment’. Singletons all over the world are taking part in the Pear Ring scheme, which sees them wear a teal coloured ring in public to signify their single status.

According to Pear Ring, which has also been referred to as the 'single ring', the experiment has been a success and they to have sold out 91 per cent of their stock. Rather than a monthly subscription, members can join with a ‘one off participation fee’ of £19.99 which also gives them access to free events in their city.

Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok , Instagram , Facebook and Twitter .

How does it work?

Pear say that the ring can be worn at many places like the gym, nightclub, while commuting or shopping. The goal is for two singles who are out in public to spot the rings on each other's fingers and strike up a conversation which hopefully leads to something.

Most recently, TV presenter Alison Hammond flashed her Pear Ring on national TV. Speaking on Good Morning Britain she said: “More people are wanting to meet people out and about and having a green ring might be a good idea so that people know you're single. As you can see, I've got my single ring on.”

The revolutionary scheme which is anti subscription based dating apps says: “If 1.2 billion singles around the world wore a little green ring on their finger to show they’re single, we wouldn't need dating apps. IRL connection is the mission,"

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This was published 1 year ago

Suddenly, being single has a certain ring to it

Kerri sackville, save articles for later.

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

A few years ago, when I was single and keen for a relationship, I locked eyes with a man on an escalator in my local shopping centre. We held each other’s gaze for a few seconds, having what they call in romantic comedies “a meet cute”. He smiled, and then I looked reflexively at his ring finger.

The pale green ring from pear° that signals the wearer is single. Credit: pear°

No wedding ring! Maybe I should start a conversation? But what if he was married and just didn’t wear a ring? What if he was in a relationship, but not actually married? What if he was gay and not interested in women?

As I pondered these questions, my potential soulmate wandered away.

What if there had been a way to tell if the man was single? What if he had somehow signalled to me that he would be open to being chatted up by a random woman on an escalator? Would I have taken advantage of the connection? Would I have risked a “Hello”?

Well now there’s a way to leave people like me in that moment much wiser. A company called pear° has launched a ring for single people, a pale green band that signals to the world the wearer is ready to mingle. pear°’s “social experiment” aims to facilitate real-life meetings, and to eventually make dating apps redundant.

I am no longer single, so no pear° for me. But would I have worn one in my single days?

Hmm. On the one hand, I would have welcomed the chance to know exactly who was single and who was not. I never once approached a random man and asked him out, but I might have been tempted, had he been peacocking to me with a pale green ring.

Love on an escalator... Would wearing a green ring help singles get together? Credit: iStock

On the other hand, as a single woman I worked very hard to be content on my own, and to present a confident, self-sufficient face to the world. Would I have really wanted every stranger I passed in the supermarket to know that I was shopping for a man? Would I have wanted all the other parents in the school pick-up lane to know I was keen to pick up?

What’s more, a little green ring wasn’t going to drastically reduce my chances of rejection, should I have taken the risk and asked one of the wearers on a date. I mean, I had been on dating sites where I had matched with a man, and still he declined to go out with me. It’s bad enough being rejected because a man turns out to be married; it’s even worse to be rejected when he’s single and actively looking.

And the ring definitely would not have superseded my need for dating apps. I work from home, like so many of us since the pandemic. There’s no point me sporting a pale green ring if the only one to see it is the cat.

Having said that, I probably would have bought a ring and worn it in situations rife with potential romantic connections. Nightclubs, for example. Networking events. Wedding celebrations. Long-haul flights. Of course, I never went to nightclubs or networking events, but I did once sit next to a single man on a long-haul flight. He seemed interested in me until he found out I was 15 years his senior. Perhaps the pear°s also need to come with date of birth?

Perhaps we could all wear rings of different colours to signal to the world what we are seeking. There could be a ring for people who are looking for situationships (it’s a thing), and a ring for those just interested in casual hookups. There could be a ring for people seeking same-sex partners, and one for those seeking hetero relationships. There could be a ring for people wanting a baby daddy, and a ring for people who are just looking for new friends.

The married people can still wear their rings, to indicate to the world that they are permanently off the market. And those of us in relationships but not married will wear no rings, thus demonstrating our status as unwed but unavailable. (God knows we wouldn’t want to raise the hopes of men on escalators, even if none of them have ever indicated their hopes for us in the past.)

Life will be easier for us all! What could possibly go wrong?

As long as we don’t wear gloves, or we’re back to square one.

The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here .

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What is a Pear Ring? Alison Hammond and millions of others join dating social experiment

Instead, many are taking part in the "world's biggest social experiment" in the hopes of getting sparks to fly the old-fashioned way – by striking up a conversation with a stranger.

The Pear Ring Scheme sees singletons all around the world wear a teal coloured ring to publicly declare their dating status.

ITV's Alison Hammond was spotted wearing a 'single ring' during a discussion about dating apps on This Morning .

"As you can see, I've got my single ring on."

What is a Pear Ring?

Dubbed the "world's largest social experiment," the Pear Ring is used to signify that you are single, in order to help limit awkward interactions where you're unsure.

It works in the opposite way to an engagement ring, showing the world that you're on the market.

Those who are participating in the experiment simply wear the official green ring from The Pear Ring, which is backed by Canadian store Shopify.

How to take part

You can buy the teal-coloured ring from The Pear Ring website for £19.99, The first release has already sold out, and it says the second release is "ending soon" and is already "91% sold out".

Once you have paid the "one-off participation fee to join the experiment," you can wear the ring on any finger.

According to the website, you'll be issued a unique membership number, and you'll be invited to "PearFest" as well as get "access to exclusive free events in your city".

You can learn more by heading to the brand's Instagram page .

Would you wear a Pear Ring? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Singles across the world are participating in the largest social experiment ever conducted: Know more!

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‘The Pear Ring’ The New Way To Pick Out Single People

There’s a new social experiment going viral on social media and folks are having mixed reviews. It’s been a long time since I dated, but usually people will ask you if you’re single. If you’re on a dating app, people will assume you’re single unless you say otherwise. Now there’s a new way to tell if someone is single.

The Pear Ring is being called the ‘opposite of engagement rings’. According to Interesting Engineering , this new social experiment lets others know that you’re single and open to a conversation. For instance, if you’re at the grocery store and see someone wearing this ring, it’s a sign that can approach them for a conversation.

The goal of the ring is to encourage more social interactions. Instead of scrolling through a dating app, this is a new way for people to converse in person. In the 80’s as a teen, and as a 20 something in the 90’s, REAL life conversations were the only way to connect. Dating apps weren’t a thing. That may be why people my age finds it difficult to use them. Using dating apps seems so odd to me. I’ve tried numerous ones, and they seem so impersonal.

So far, millions of the $25-dollar green rings have been sold. In the photos, people are wearing the ring on their ring finger and on their middle finger. The bright green color sets the ring apart from wedding rings.

I’m not sure this ring social experiment will work or if it’s just a way for the ring makers to snag a lot of cash. Some people think that women who wear the ring will just be bothered more. Others think it’s a great way to approach someone at a bar, gym, or restaurant.

The big problem with this ring is that if someone approaches you that you aren’t interested in, the whole ‘I have a boyfriend/girlfriend’ line doesn’t work. It will be interesting to see if this ring catches on. So far, I’ve never seen anyone wearing the ring. However, I haven’t been looking. Next time I’m at the store or out with friends, I’ll be looking for the bright green ring.

The Pear Ring, dubbed the world's biggest social experiment, aims to end the culture of dating apps. The green-colored ring signals that an individual is single and looking to strike up a relationship in the real world. 👇 https://t.co/RnxHf5E3Bf — Interesting Engineering (@IntEngineering) April 12, 2023

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The "Pear Ring" social dating experiment

I recently caught wind of a social experiment designed to "get people off dating apps". So you just buy this $25 non-engagement ring, and wear it to indicate you are single, and looking for a relationship.

Anyone try this out yet? I know it's relatively new, but I am just curious to see if it is actually catching on.

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Science week speed-dating event uses experiments to help people find love

A bearded man lifts a smiling woman in his arms on a brightly lit internal staircase.

Two science communicators have hosted a speed dating event as part of National Science Week.

The event focused on curiosity, experimentation and education in a Love Lab.

What's next?

The event itself was an experiment and the hosts are hoping to use data from it to help people connect.

Not many people expect to sniff each other on a first date.

But in the name of science, that's what happened at a Sydney speed-dating event being run as part of National Science Week.

Science communicators Shu Ezackial and Naomi Koh Belic ran the event fuelled by curiosity, experimentation and education.

"I gravitate towards science communication, which is a bit fresh, a bit different, I love learning new things and new ideas," Shu said.

"And I guess I am currently dating as well so it was kind of this mix of things that just formed this weird concept of the Love Lab."

It was a full house at Sydney's dimly lit state library bar on Tuesday night, with daters encouraged to be open and have fun.

Dr Naomi said speed dating tended to be viewed as a stressful thing, so they were hopeful science would help break the ice and boost connection.

"We are hoping that bringing some science and education into it makes it a little bit less daunting," she said.

"And then we throw in some matchmaking experiments … hopefully to help people find love."

Handy hints and experiments

Participants were given prompts ranging from "How often do you wash your bedsheets and towels?" to "Do you pee in the shower?".

Based on the research the Love Lab dished out, you should be washing your towels once every couple of days or so.

One dater, Alex, found that particularly helpful.

"The science facts are actually quite interesting," he said.

"I have learnt that I should wash my towels much more often … so I think I will do that more moving forward."

A man with a large heart-shaped hole in the back of his shirt faces speed daters from a stage.

But apart from getting people to discuss scientific ideas and facts, the hosts also ran experiments.

"I made someone smell two people and decide who they thought was more attractive to them purely based on smell alone," Dr Naomi said.

"And then I told them there was very little science behind it, so that experiment was a little bit cruel.

"I think people think that pheromones are what drives attraction, but to be honest the science is not entirely there."

But they did run an experiment on holding hands, which the volunteers said felt nice.

They got two people to hold hands and then tried to scare them.

It emulated an experiment looking at how human touch, especially if it was from a partner someone was in a satisfying relationship with, could lower stress levels.

Shu said science interested people and this made it easy and fun to talk about.

"People want to hear that stuff and it just makes perfect little prompts for people to discuss and kind of connect over when it comes to something like this," they said.

A woman with a fake moustache, cowboy gear and cupid wings poses for the camera.

Connecting in real life

The Love Lab has no data to report yet, but its creators believe there is a desire for it in the world of modern dating.

"There are lots and lots of people on dating apps, and what we find is that yes, they are finding partners, but more than half of them are having a bad time," Dr Naomi said.

"That's why I think coming out in person and going to real life speed dating events is a way people are trying to connect."

Shu said even if people did not find love this National Science Week with the Love Lab, hopefully they connected with someone and maybe learnt something along the way.

"This itself was an experiment and we are going to keep working with it, keep tweaking it, see what the data, the results say, but there seems to be a real hunger for it," they said.

"I think there is something here, maybe to do with the human connection, maybe to do with the research and the science and the love … we'll see."

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Relationships
Science and Technology

It's Almost As if This 'Love Is Blind: UK' Contestant's Red Flags Were Ignored

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Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for the first 4 episodes of 'Love Island: UK'.

The Big Picture

Love Is Blind focuses on singles forming connections without seeing each other, aiming to create lasting relationships.
Casting issues have arisen, with contestants like Sam joining for fame rather than love, raising concerns about authenticity.
Contestants like Benaiah see through insincere intentions, calling into question how producers failed to identify red flags.

Love Is Blind is Netflix's reality TV dating series that purports to be a social experiment about whether relationship-minded singles can fall in love with each other sight unseen. Contestants do a round of speed dating where they gradually narrow down their options while searching to find their future spouse. Compared to the other dating series on the streaming platform, like Too Hot To Handle or Perfect Match , Love Is Blind has a more consistent track record in terms of actually pairing couples that stay together once their season wraps.

That's not to say the dating series hasn't faced problems in the past, especially when it comes to casting. In Season 6 of the series, glaring holes in the casting process became apparent , as one contestant came onto the series lying about his intentions, seemingly hoping to secure reality TV fame on the series rather than love, since he secretly had a girlfriend throughout the casting and filming process . While Netflix producers insist that the casting process for the series is rigorous, it is difficult to find evidence that a contestant is truly serious about finding a blind match by searching through social media posts, which is a tool casting admittedly utilizes while seeking out potential contestants in the city where they intend to film.

The conundrum that Love Is Blind producers face about finding contestants with the right intentions has already become obvious in the first drop of episodes for Love Is Blind: UK . Almost immediately, when contestant Sam Klein was introduced to the dating pods, the women he was speaking to through the wall couldn't be sure if what he was saying was true. Many of Sam's actions during his time in the pods revealed that he was not there in the spirit of truly committing to the Love Is Blind process for the right reasons, and the other contestants were quick to suss this out. If the audience and the other contestants were able to pick up on Sam's inauthentic motivations so easily, why weren't the producers able to do so during the casting process?

Love Is Blind

Singles who want to be loved for who they are, rather than what they look like, have signed up for a less-conventional approach to modern dating.

Sam's First Moments on 'Love Is Blind: UK'

The very first thing viewers hear from Sam Klein is a "joke" he makes about having an interest in one of the women that another male contestant was describing having a spark with on their first date. It turned out that he did not form a connection with the lady in question, and was simply teasing the anxious Romeo-to-be. This could be interpreted as being just a bit of cheeky banter, or simple male peacocking, but considering Sam's propensity for dramatic moments throughout the pod experience, it seems to be a bit of foreshadowing as well.

In a series about taking physical appearance out of the love equation when it comes to dating, it's ironic to see someone posturing in front of the mirror, commenting on how good the lighting is, and saying it's always good to take a look before stepping out. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being concerned about one's physical appearance when filming a television series that will be streamed around the world. But it is interesting how often Sam talks about his appearance in the first four episodes . In his first confessional, Sam explains to the producer off-camera that he used to feel insecure when looking in the mirror, so he has done "some things" to change his appearance, including a nose job among other things. Then he describes how he prepared for the Love Is Blind experience by hitting the gym, starting a new skin care routine, "the whole lot."

Sam's concerns about his own physical appearance are a red flag , as presumably, he will have the same high standards when it comes to the romantic connection he formed on the series. And it didn't just come up once or twice, but was brought up on his dates as well . When getting to know Jasmine in the pods, Sam was asked why he thinks girls weren't giving him "the chance" he claimed he'd been asking for. He immediately made it about his appearance on Instagram or when seen on night outs at a bar, doing the subtle brag thing that people do, hinting that he is so good-looking that women don't take him seriously.

Another potential red flag is Sam consistently describing himself as "Peter Pan," saying he is "just a big kid." Maybe the concept of Peter Pan syndrome is more prevalent in the US than in the UK, but for most adult women it is somewhat off-putting to picture having to raise this "big kid" into adulthood , which is where someone needs to be if they intend on getting married at the end of a social experiment designed to match people up based on literal blind dates. Sam's immaturity seems pretty obvious after the first four episodes, especially considering he speaks more about his needs and what the women can bring to his life, rather than showing curiosity about how they will fit one another, as a pair. So it's curious to think how the Love Is Blind producers and casting department might have missed these red flags in the interview process.

Fancesca Farago, Giannina Milady Gibelli, and Chloe Veitch from Netflix's Love Is Blind, Perfect Match, and Too Hot to Handle

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Sam Dated Two Prospects In the Pods

On one of his dates with Jasmine in the pods, she pressed him on why women wouldn't take him seriously based on his appearance, asking " Do you feel like you give f*** boy energy? " Sam became immediately defensive; his voice was at a higher pitch as he quickly denied this, and he then stammered out some nonsense: "I don't go around, like, chatting to a girl, like, I don't know." He then repeated his claims of just being a "big kid" who just "wants to have fun." In a confessional interview, Jasmine expressed her "gut feeling" that Sam is just one of those handsome guys who is used to getting whatever he wants . Her radar is impressive, considering she is missing out on all the body language and mannerisms that seem to confirm her assessment of the way he speaks to her.

On Sam's first date with Nicole, they spoke about their fitness regimens, and he referred to himself as a "smooth talker." He also relied on his appearance right away, telling Nicole "if you saw me, I think you'd be impressed." Nicole also picked up on the "too good to be true" of it all, telling Sam she was feeling "a bit scared," because everything he said seemed tailored to what she wanted to hear. Another red flag on this date was that Sam used the same, "remember me, Sam from London" bit with both Nicole and Jasmine when departing the pods. Having prepared the same sign-off with both women speaks to the inauthentic nature behind his efforts.

Sam was set on Jasmine as his number one, but unfortunately for him, she decided to pursue another connection. Facing rejection in the pod, he was receptive to her words, though obviously disappointed. His answers to her were curt, and when he left the pod he aggressively chucked the signature matte gold wine glasses associated with the Love Is Blind brand. When he returned to the men's quarters, he told the other guys it was "the worst experience of my life." If getting rejected by a woman, in a series where the concept is to date multiple people at once, is actually the worst experience of Sam's life, then he has lived a pretty charmed life. But this hyperbolic reaction, the aggressive throwing of the wine cup, and the quick switch to love-bombing Nicole after Jasmine rejected him, are major red flags. It's giving toxic.

One Contestant Saw Right Through Sam

Benaiah interview 'Love Is Blind: UK' Netflix

Nicole and Benaiah connected right away on an authentic level in their Love Is Blind experience, especially in their ideal off-grid lifestyles and the idea of conscious living. Nicole referred to their connection as "kindred spirits." In every conversation between the pair, it seemed like a genuine connection was forming as they went deeper into the pod process. Although he was not able to reassure her as quickly as she might have liked that he had marriage on his mind, the two seemed truly well-suited to one another . That is why Benaiah found it so distressing to be in competition for Nicole's affections with Sam, who he had overheard speculating about Nicole's weight after she hesitated to think if he would be able to lift her off the ground.

Benaiah worried about Nicole pursuing her relationship with Sam, not for his own sake, but out of concern for her, as he suspected Sam had untrue intentions in coming into the Love Is Blind experience. The concern that Benaiah shows for Nicole in telling her his suspicions of Sam being there for "fame" rather than for love was a self-sacrificing moment because it went against his character to be gossiping about another contestant. And who knows, if it weren't for this forewarning from someone she trusted, Nicole may have chosen to see the experiment out, rather than listening to her gut after she accepted Sam's proposal initially . After she said "yes," Sam said "I think I Iove you" rather than simply saying it without the qualifier, which seemed to give Nicole pause. He did the same thing when they met face to face, and Nicole then called off their relationship before the couple was supposed to move on to the second stage of the experiment by traveling to Greece together.

If Jasmine and Benaiah were both able to see through Sam's bad-faith actions so easily, the question returns to how could the casting process have allowed someone so insincere to enter the "social experiment" in the first place? Viewers picked up on it and the contestants picked up on it. Was Sam that convincing in his interview process? Or, is it possible that the producers know that a scenario where a bad-faith romantic entering the pods and interrupting a genuine connection would be a sure way to stir up drama in the series ? If so, they certainly got what they were asking for in Sam, after the dramatic revelation that Nicole had listened to her intuition that she had made the wrong choice. But now that the pods' experience was over, the first four episodes ended on a cliffhanger about whether Nicole would be able to reunite with Benaiah after falling for Sam's romantic posturing. This makes for excellent reality TV, but draws the Love Is Blind casting process into question.

The first four episodes of Love Is Blind: UK can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.

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Is the Princess of Wales’s Ring a Romantic Throwback to Her University Days?

Image may contain Adult Person Accessories Jewelry Ring Necklace Head and Face

On Sunday—just as the Paris Olympics drew to a close—the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a video congratulating all the athletes from Great Britain. “From all of us watching at home, congratulations to team GB,” Kate Middleton said as William—sporting an uncharacteristic shadow of stubble—stood beside her. (The unofficial spokesperson of the games, Snoop Dogg , also made a cameo.)

The princess wore an outfit laced with sartorial symbolism. First was her Breton shirt —a clear nod to the host country and its rich fashion history. In the 19th century, the striped tops were worn by the French Navy as it made them easier to spot in the water. Fast forward a century later, the fashion world embraced the design. Chic Parisians wore them during their seaside holidays in Cannes and St. Tropez, and soon, they became a wardrobe staple. It was a sensible and smart choice by Kate: designer French fashions may have seemed overly extravagant to a country dealing with a cost of living crisis. Yet the simple Breton shirt simultaneously paid homage to France while also feeling appropriate to wear back in Britain.

Then, there was her ring. The internet took particular note of the piece of jewelry: while Kate frequently wears her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, in the video, she instead wore a subtle gold band lined with gemstones.

Immediately, speculation arose about its origins. Many believed it was a ring Prince William originally gave Kate Middleton while they were students at St. Andrew’s University. The ring was lined with pearls and garnets, the respective birthstones of William and Kate. For years before their engagement, she wore the ring on her middle finger.

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Others, however, believed it might be a new eternity band. (Kensington Palace declined to comment on the ring’s origins when asked by The Telegraph. ) Yet whether the ring is new or old, it’s clearly a sweet throwback to the couple’s university days. Either Kate unearthed the sentimental piece from her jewelry box or William perhaps gave her an upgraded version that paid homage to the ring he gave her decades ago, in the early days of their romance.

Her choice to wear the pared-back design instead of her engagement ring is also telling. The latter is, yes, beautiful and priceless. It’s also likely quite difficult to wear day-to-day, especially for a woman with three children. While we can’t be sure what goes on behind closed doors, there’s a good chance the princess doesn’t wear the 12-carat piece constantly while around the house.

Since the video looks like it was shot on an iPhone while at home—it’s said the couple is currently vacationing at Anmer Hall—Middleton is probably wearing the jewelry she actually wears every day. And that just so happens to be the pieces that already have a very special ring to them.

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Harris Chooses Walz

A guide to the career, politics and sudden stardom of gov. tim walz of minnesota, now vice president kamala harris’s running mate..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

Hey, it’s Michael. Before we get started, I want to tell you about another show made by “The New York Times” that pairs perfectly with “The Daily.” It’s called “The Headlines.” It’s a show hosted by my colleague, Tracy Mumford, that quickly catches you up on the day’s top stories and features insights from “The Times” reporters who are covering them, all in about 10 minutes or less.

So if you like “The Daily”— and if you’re listening, I have to assume you do — I hope that means you’re going to “The Headlines” as well. You can now find “The Headlines” wherever you get your podcasts. So find it, subscribe to it, and thank you. And now, here’s today’s “Daily.”

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Today, the story of how a little known Midwestern governor became Kamala Harris’s choice for a running mate. My colleague Ernesto Londoño walks us through the career, politics, and sudden stardom of Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota.

It’s Wednesday, August 7.

Ernesto, over the past few days, we watched Vice President Harris bring the final three contenders for her running mate to her house in Washington, DC, for a set of in-person interviews. And then we watched as she seemed to narrow her pool of choices down to a final two — the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, and the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. And now, of course, we know that she has made her choice. What has she told us about her campaign strategy, the way she views this race, in ultimately choosing Tim Walz?

Michael, I think what the choice tells us is that Kamala Harris was drawn to two qualities that Governor Walz brings to the table. And what’s interesting is they may seem to be in tension. For starters, here’s the ultimate everyday man, somebody who grew up in a small town in Middle America, served in the National Guard, was a high school teacher, a football coach, very plain-spoken, goes to campaign events wearing T-shirts and baseball caps, is a gun owner and very proud about it. He sort of embodies the Midwest.

And she clearly thinks that that is going to bring the kind of moderate, white, working class voters that the campaign needs in swing states to come to them, to make this feel like a balanced ticket and something that will give her enough of the crucial votes to defeat Donald Trump in the fall.

On the other hand, as governor, he passed a slew of pretty progressive legislation in the past couple of years, everything from abortion rights to gun control. So these things are likely to appeal to bread and butter Democrats.

But the question is, when voters have examined these two facets of Tim Walz, may it bring them enough enthusiasm from the base and enough undecided voters that the campaign desperately needs, or at some point, do these two aspects of him start canceling each other out?

Right. In short, you’re saying Harris is betting on a dual appeal from Walz to two essential constituencies, but the risk is that the appeal to one of them is just much, much greater than to the other.

Right. You could definitely see a scenario where voters, once they’ve examined Tim Walz’s story and legacy, may conclude that both of these candidates are quite liberal.

OK, so tell us the story of Tim Walz, a story that I think a lot of us don’t know because we really don’t know Walz all that well, and how he has come to embody these two qualities and that tension that you just described.

Michael, the origin story of Tim Walz’s political career is quite fascinating.

He and his wife were teachers in a small city south of Minneapolis. And in 2004, when George W. Bush was running for re-election, Walz took a group of his students to a political rally in his hometown. They wanted to just see the president make his case. And a strange scuffle happened when they were trying to get in.

Well, one of the kids had a John Kerry sticker on his wallet. And this is where the individual says, well, you’re not going to be allowed to enter. You’ve been deemed a threat.

Apparently, one of the students had a sticker for Bush’s rival, John Kerry, on his wallet. And security officials at the rally didn’t want to let them in.

And I said, oh, it’s OK. They’re with me. And who are you? And I said, I’m Tim Walz. I’m their teacher here, and showed them my ID. And they said, well, you two have been deemed a threat to the president. And I said, well, that’s not true. And it kind of escalated.

And this really ticked off Tim Walz. He was really upset. There was a fight and a confrontation at the rally.

At this point in time, I’m kind of nervous. I’m getting arrested. So I’m like saying, well, I’m Teacher of the Year in Mankato. And they didn’t care about that. And it was kind of a sad epiphany moment, how it felt for people to be looked right through by people. These people didn’t see me. And this is happening.

And ultimately, he sort of walks away from this moment feeling really sick of the Bush administration, the politics of the day. And he turns around and volunteers for the Kerry campaign.

And then the more interested he becomes in politics in this era, he starts looking around his congressional district, and there’s a Republican who’s held the seat for many, many years. This was a largely rural district in southern Minnesota. And there’s no reason to believe that a newcomer to politics, somebody without a donor base, could make a run for this seat and win.

But Walz signs up for this weekend boot camp, where expert campaigners train newcomers who want to run for office. And he gets really enthused by the idea that he can pull it off. So he starts raising money with the support of an army of students who become so thrilled and energized by the prospect that their nerdy and kind geography teacher is making this uphill bid for a congressional race.

So his campaign staff is basically his former students.

That’s right. And he proves to be a formidable candidate. He draws a lot of attention to his experience in the classroom and as a coach.

When I coached football, these stands held about 3,000 people. That’s a lot. It’s also the number of American soldiers who have died fighting in Iraq.

He’s a very strong advocate for pulling out of the war in Iraq.

Serving right now are kids that I taught, coached, and trained to be soldiers. They deserve a plan for Iraq to govern itself, so they can come home.

And one thing that happens in the campaign that is really surprising to people is he comes out as being in favor of same-sex marriage. Now, it’s useful to remember that this is 2006, when the vast majority of Democrats, Democrats running for most elected office, were not ready to come out in favor of same-sex marriage.

And here’s a guy who’s new to politics, who’s trying to unseat a Republican who’s held on to his seat for more than 12 years, taking what appeared to be a reckless position on something. And when he was asked about it at the time, Tim Walz told a supporter, this just happens to be what I believe in. And I’d rather lose a race that I’ve ran being true and consistent to my values than try to run as somebody I’m not.

And of course, he wins.

Yes. To everybody’s surprise, he pulled it off.

So from the get-go, he shows a kind of maverick, “politics be damned” quality, taking stands that he knows may be unpopular among the voters he’s trying to win over. But he’s got some innate political gifts that are all making it work.

Yeah, I think that first campaign showed us that Tim Walz had real political chops. He was a very effective campaigner. And people really liked him. When he was knocking on doors, when he was introducing himself to voters, they saw him as somebody who was very genuine and who was admirable.

So once he gets elected in this conservative leaning district in Minnesota, what does he actually do in Congress?

In Congress, he develops a reputation for being somebody who can work across the aisle. And this is a period where Democrats and Republicans were deeply polarized over the Iraq War. He spends a lot of his time lobbying to expand benefits for veterans, so it’s easier for them to go to college after their service, and also becomes a leading voice in the quest to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the policy that prohibited openly gay servicemen from serving in uniform.

And he remained really popular. He easily won re-election five times. The last time he runs for his seat happens to be 2016, when President Trump wins his district by about 15 points.

And still, voters kept Tim Walz in office.

I think it’s important to note what you just said. Walz is distinguishing himself as a Democrat who can take some pretty progressive positions, as he did in that first campaign on gay rights, as he did with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and keep winning in very Trump-friendly districts of his state.

That’s right. And as he’s serving his sixth term in office, he sets his sights on the governor’s mansion and decides to run for office in 2018. He wins that race easily. And early on, during his time as governor, the eyes of the world are on Minnesota after a police officer kills George Floyd. And what we see is massive looting and protests in Minneapolis.

Right, and remind us how Governor Walz handles that violence, those protests.

Yeah, I think that’s a crucial chapter in Tim Walz’s political career and one that will come under scrutiny in the days ahead.

After George Floyd was killed on a Monday —

People are upset, and they’re tired. And being Black in Minnesota already has a stigma and a mark on your back.

— protests took root in Minneapolis.

Y’all want to sit out here and shoot off your rubber bullets and tear gas.

And they got progressively larger and more violent.

There comes a point where the mayor and the police chief in Minneapolis plead for help. They ask the governor to send in the National Guard. And crucially, that request was not immediately heeded.

This is the third precinct here. There are fires burning to the left of it at the —

And at the height of the crisis, a police precinct building was abandoned.

There’s someone climbing up the wall right now, kicking the window in, trying to climb up the wall.

Because city officials grew concerned that protesters were about to overrun it and may attack the cops inside their own turf.

[EXPLOSIONS]

And the building is set on fire.

Right, a very memorable image. I can recall it happening in real-time.

Yeah, and in the days that followed, I think there were a lot of questions of why the governor didn’t send in troops earlier and whether a more muscular, decisive response could have averted some of the destruction that spread through the city.

And how does Walz end up explaining his decision not to send in the National Guard more quickly?

The governor and his administration have said that they were really, really dealing with an unprecedented challenge. And I think there was a concern that sending in troops into this really, really tense situation could have done more to escalate rather than pacify things on the street.

But in the weeks and months that followed, there were a lot of questions about Governor Walz’s leadership. And there were critics who said, during what may have been the most challenging week of his life, we saw a governor who was indecisive and who waited too long to send in resources that ultimately allowed the city to get to a semblance of order.

Right, and it feels like this is a moment that will almost assuredly be used against him by Donald Trump and JD Vance, the Republican ticket, which has made law and order so central to their message in this campaign.

Yeah, absolutely. And here in Minnesota, that was certainly a liability for him when he ran for re-election in 2022. But voters kept him in office, and he won that race handily. And not only did he win, but Democrats managed to flip the Senate and have full control of the legislature on his watch.

And that sets in motion one of the most productive legislative sessions in Minnesota history, where Tim Walz and his allies in the House and the Senate managed to pass a trove of really progressive legislation, oftentimes on a party vote.

Tell us about some of that legislation.

Well, Minnesota becomes the first state in the wake of the Supreme Court ending the constitutional right to abortion to actually codify this right under state statute. And they did a lot more stuff. They had a huge budget surplus, and they used that, for instance, to fund meals for all school children.

They managed to pass a couple of gun control laws that were very contentious. They gave the right to undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses. They legalized recreational marijuana. And finally, the governor takes a pretty bold stance on this issue of gender affirming care for transgender kids and teenagers, and says that Minnesota will be a safe haven for people who want that health care.

So, Ernesto, so how should we think about that blitz of legislation and the largely progressive tone of it, given the way that Walz had campaigned and succeeded up to that moment as somebody with such broad appeal across the political spectrum?

When the governor was asked whether this had been too much too quickly in terms of progressive legislation, his answer was that these were broadly popular policies, that these are issues Democrats had campaigned on. And here, Democrats had a window of opportunity where they were in control of the governor’s mansion and control of the House, the Senate, and that when you have political capital, you spend it.

But when you start listening to Republicans in Minnesota, they say, here’s a guy who campaigned on this mantra of “One Minnesota.” That was his campaign slogan. And he sort of came into office with this promise that he would govern in a bipartisan way, reach across the aisle.

But when they had all the votes they needed to pass their policies, Republicans felt that Walz was not bothering to bring them into the fold and to pass legislation that was going to be palatable to conservatives in the state. So I think people who once regarded him as a moderate now start seeing him as somebody who, when he had the power, acted in ways that were really progressive and liberal.

So at the height of his power, Governor Walz emerges as somebody who, when given a shot at getting done what he really wants to get done with a Democratic legislature, is a pretty progressive leader, even at the risk of being somewhat at odds with his earlier image as more moderate, because in his mind, enough people in the state are behind these policies.

Yeah, and I think he assumed that he had banked enough goodwill and that people across the state liked him enough to tolerate policies they may have disagreed with. And I think it’s safe to say, among the people who cover him here regularly, there was never any real hint that Tim Walz was eyeing a run for higher office. He’s not somebody who has written the kind of political memoir that oftentimes serves as a case of what you would bring to a national ticket or to the White House. And he seems pretty happy with a state job.

So it was a huge surprise when Tim Walz starts going viral through a string of cable news appearances right after President Biden drops out of the race, and the Democrats are scrambling to put Harris at the top of the ticket. And what becomes clear is that Walz is very forcefully auditioning for the role of vice president, and Vice President. Harris starts taking him very seriously.

We’ll be right back.

So, Ernesto, tell us about this cable news audition that Governor Walz undertakes over the past few weeks and how, ultimately, it seemed to help him land this job of being Harris’s running mate.

I think Walz does something really interesting, and that is that he says that Democrats shouldn’t be talking about Trump and Vance as existential threats. He kind of makes the case that Democrats have been in this state of fear and paralysis for too long, and that it’s not serving them well. So the word he latches onto is “weird.”

Well, it’s true. These guys are just weird.

It is. It is.

And they’re running for he-man women hater’s club or something. That’s what they go at. That’s not what people are interested in.

And I think one other thing we see in Walz is somebody who’s putting himself out there as a foil to JD Vance.

That angst that JD Vance talks about in “Hillbilly Elegy,” none of my hillbilly cousins went to Yale, and none of them went on to be venture capitalists or whatever. It’s not —

I think the case he’s making is that Tim Walz is a more authentic embodiment of small town values.

What I know is, is that people like JD Vance know nothing about small town America. My town had 400 people in it, 24 kids in my graduating class. 12 were cousins. And he gets it all wrong. It’s not about hate.

And behind the scenes, people from Tim Walz’s days on Capitol Hill start calling everybody they know in the Harris campaign and the Harris orbit and saying, here’s a guy who has executive experience as governor, but also somebody who has a really impressive record from his time on Capitol Hill and somebody who could be an asset in helping a Harris administration pass tough legislation. So you should take a hard look at this guy.

Which is, of course, exactly what Harris ends up doing. And I want to talk for a moment about how Harris announces Walz as her running mate on Tuesday morning. She did it in an Instagram message. And it felt like the way she did it very much embraced this idea that you raised earlier, Ernesto, that Walz contains these two appeals, one to the Democratic base, one to the white working class.

Harris specifically cites the work that Walz did with Republicans on infrastructure and then cites his work on gun control. She mentions that he was a football coach and the founder of the high school Gay Straight Alliance. She’s straddling these two versions of Walz.

But I want to linger on the idea for a moment of Walz’s vulnerabilities, because once he becomes Harris’s running mate, Harris and Walz are going to lose a fair amount of control over how they present him to the country, because he’s going to become the subject of very fierce attacks from the Republicans in this race. So talk about that for just a moment.

Yeah, I mean, it’s important to keep in mind that Governor Walz has never endured the scrutiny of a presidential race. So the questions he’s going to be asked and the way his record is going to be looked at is going to be different and sharper. I think the Harris campaign is billing him as, first and foremost, a fighter for the middle class. And I think that certainly will have some appeal.

But I think in coming days, there’s going to be a lot of attention drawn to parts of his record that may be unpopular with many voters. For instance, giving undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses, which Governor Walz championed. It’s likely to provide fodder for an attack ad.

The very dramatic footage of Minneapolis burning in 2020 is also something that I think people will be drawn to. And there’s going to be interest in reexamining what the governor did and what he could have done differently to avert the chaos.

And on Tuesday, we saw that the Trump campaign wasted no time in trying to define Tim Walz as soft on crime, permissive on immigration policy. And they also made clear they wanted to relitigate the era of George Floyd’s killing. And specifically, they want to try to tie him to the effort at the time to defund the police, which is a movement that Walz personally never endorsed.

So the Republican attack here will be pretty simple. Walz is liberal. Harris is liberal. So, in their efforts to speak to especially white working class and rural voters in swing states, the Trump campaign is going to say this is not the ticket for that group of voters. This is the ticket of burning police precincts and gun control. And of course, that may not be fair, but that’s very likely going to be the message over the next couple of months.

Right. I think there’s going to be effort to portray him as a radical liberal who has used his small town roots to put on this sort of veneer of being a moderate and a really sort of understanding and being part of the segments of the electorate that I think are critical in this election.

I want to speak for just a moment about the person Harris did not pick when she chose Walz because many Democrats had felt that Walz was a potentially too liberal seeming running mate for a candidate, Kamala Harris, who herself comes from a blue state and is caricatured by the Republicans as liberal herself.

And the person she didn’t choose was Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who was seen as having a huge appeal in that particular key swing state, but also presented risks of his own of alienating parts of the Democratic base with his well-documented support for Israel and his criticism of campus protesters. How should we think about the fact that, ultimately, Harris chose Walz over Shapiro?

Yeah, I think in the final stretch of this campaign to be the vice presidential pick, we started seeing a lot of acrimony in pockets of the Democratic base, drawing attention to the fact that Governor Shapiro could be divisive on Gaza, which has really sort of split the party in recent months.

So I think at the end of the day, they made a calculation that Tim Walz would be more of a unifying figure and would be somebody who would inspire and energize enough pockets of the electorate that they need, particularly in the Midwest, to make him the stronger and more exciting pick and somebody who wouldn’t force them to go back to defending and relitigating the Biden administration’s record on Israel and on the war in Gaza.

Right, and then, on Tuesday night, we got our first glimpse of Harris and Walz together on stage for the first time at a campaign rally. I’m curious, what struck you about their debut together.

Good evening, Philadelphia.

I think everybody was watching the opening scene of this rally to see what the chemistry between these two people was going to be like. And they both seemed giddy. They were literally, at times, bouncing with enthusiasm.

Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future.

So Pennsylvania, I’m here today because I found such a leader.

Governor Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.

They soon got down to business. And that business was how to define Tim Waltz for voters who don’t know him well.

To those who know him best, Tim is more than a governor.

And right off the bat, we saw that Kamala Harris really highlighted a lot of pieces of his pre-political career.

To his former high school football players, he was Coach.

She repeatedly called him Coach Walz, Mr. Walz, evoking his time in the classroom, and even used his military title from his days in the Army.

To his fellow veterans, he is Sergeant Major Walz.

And then when it came time for Tim Walz to introduce himself on this massive stage —

Welcome the next vice president of the United States, Tim Walz.

— he drew a lot of attention to his small town roots.

I was born in West Point, Nebraska. I lived in Butte, a small town of 400.

He said something that he said repeatedly recently in campaign appearances, which is —

In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there’s a golden rule — mind your own damn business.

The golden rule of small towns is you mind your own damn business, which is something he said in the context of his argument that Republicans have been limiting, rather than expanding, people’s rights. But he also drew attention to the fact that he’s a gun owner.

By the way, as you heard, I was one of the best shots in Congress. But in Minnesota, we believe in the Second Amendment, but we also believe in common sense gun violence laws.

And then when it came time to draw a sharp contrast with their opponents, Tim Walz said, these guys are phonies.

Donald Trump is not fighting for you or your family. He never sat at that kitchen table like the one I grew up at, wondering how we were going to pay the bills. He sat at his country club in Mar-a-Lago, wondering how he can cut taxes for his rich friends.

He said it’s actually people like me and Kamala Harris who come from humble origins and showed what is possible in America when you hail from a working class background, and you seize opportunities that were available to you.

Thank you, Philadelphia. Thank you, Vice President. God bless America.

So when it comes to this question of Walz’s dual identities and dual appeals, what did we learn on day one of this new Democratic ticket, do you think?

I think the campaign is trying to convey that these two facets of Tim Walz’s life are not mutually exclusive, that they don’t need to be in tension. They don’t cancel each other out. They’re both part of Tim Walz’s story. And I think that’s how they’re going to present him from now until Election Day.

Ernesto, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

It’s my pleasure, Michael.

Here’s what else you need to know today. On Tuesday, Hamas said that Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds behind the deadly October 7 attacks on Israel, had consolidated his power over the entire organization. Until now, Sinwar had held the title of Hamas’s leader in Gaza. But with the assassination of Hamas’s top political leader by Israel last week, Hamas said that Sinwar would take on that title as well. Sinwar remains a major target of Israel and is believed to have been hiding in tunnels underneath Gaza since October 7.

And the US Department of Justice has charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran with trying to hire a hitman to assassinate political figures in the United States. The man recently traveled to the US and was arrested in New York last month. American authorities believe that his potential targets likely included former President Trump.

Today’s episode was produced by Alex Stern, Eric Krupke, and Olivia Natt. It was edited by Lisa Chow and Patricia Willens, contains original music by Pat McCusker and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Nick Pittman and Minnesota Public Radio.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

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Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Ernesto Londoño

Produced by Alex Stern Eric Krupke and Olivia Natt

Edited by Lisa Chow and Patricia Willens

Original music by Marion Lozano and Pat McCusker

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

Earlier this summer, few Democrats could have identified Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.

But, in a matter of weeks, Mr. Walz has garnered an enthusiastic following in his party, particularly among the liberals who cheer on his progressive policies. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris named him as her running mate. Ernesto Londoño, who reports for The Times from Minnesota, walks us through Mr. Walz’s career, politics and sudden stardom.

On today’s episode

Ernesto Londoño , a reporter for The Times based in Minnesota, covering news in the Midwest.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz waving onstage in front of a “Harris Walz” sign.

Background reading

Who is Tim Walz , Kamala Harris’s running mate?

Mr. Walz has faced criticism for his response to the George Floyd protests.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

An earlier version of this episode misstated the subject that Walz’s wife taught. She taught English, not Social Studies.

How we handle corrections

Ernesto Londoño is a Times reporter based in Minnesota, covering news in the Midwest and drug use and counternarcotics policy. More about Ernesto Londoño

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