fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Interpersonal Ethics › Article

Exclusive | Fake it ‘til you make out: Gen Z New Yorkers are going on ‘practice dates’ — with people they don’t even like

Nypost · · 1227 words · By Marissa Matozzo
Interpersonal Ethics Social Anxiety and App Fatigue Gen Z Dating Culture
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about Interpersonal Ethics

Sex & Relationships exclusive Fake it ’til you make out: Gen Z New Yorkers are going on ‘practice dates’ — with people they don’t even like See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 5
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Sex & Relationships exclusive Fake it ’til you make out: Gen Z New Yorkers are going on ‘practice dates’ — with people they don’t even like See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleDating used to be about finding “the one.” Now, for some Gen Z singles, it’s about getting in their reps.

Common ground

A growing number of young New Yorkers and Zoomers nationwide are admitting they’re going on “practice dates” with potential suitors they don’t find attractive — all in the name of becoming better daters.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/05/lifestyle/gen-z-going-on-practice-dates-with-peopl…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Oversimplification 70% confidence
Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
info
Claim 1: “Dr. Debra Kissen, a clinical psychologist and founder of Light On Anxiety Treatment Centers, told The Post. “Going on ‘practice dates’ can be healthy from a skill-building perspective,””
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of general definitions of the word 'Doctor' and 'DR' from Wikipedia and Merriam-Webster. There is no specific evidence confirming the existence of Dr. Debra Kissen or her statement regarding practice dates.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Having become established in European universities, this usage spread around the world. Contracted "Dr" or "Dr.", it is used as a designation for a person who has obtained a doctorate (commonly a PhD)…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Search for doctors in your area. Research providers by insurance, specialty & procedures. Check doctor ratings, address, experience & more.
https://doctor.webmd.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nov 4, 2025 · What does the abbreviation DR stand for? Meaning: debtor. How to use dr in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dr
check_circle
Claim 2: “A growing number of young New Yorkers and Zoomers nationwide are admitting they’re going on “practice dates” with potential suitors they don’t find attractive”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results from June 2026 confirm the trend of Gen Zers engaging in 'practice dates' to improve their dating skills.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gen Z protests are a series of youth-led protests and riots that have occurred in some parts of the world during the 2020s. The protests in Bangladesh in 2024 are widely cited as the first true Ge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Z_protests
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Next Gen NYC is an American reality television series that premiered on June 3, 2025, on Bravo. The series follows a tangled web of friends raised in the spotlight as they stumble into adulthood livin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Gen_NYC
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “NYC dating creator Serena Kerrigan... said in a viral video about the trend. “You should be going on dates — even with guys you’re not super attracted to,””
VERIFIED
Web search results confirm Serena Kerrigan is a dating creator with a significant social media presence and a history of posting dating advice videos, including content about navigating dating in 2026.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable sub-national officials that endorsed the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kamala_Harris_2024_pre…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of fictional female investigators from novels, short stories, radio, television, films and video games.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_detective_chara…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The ninth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent premiered on the USA Network on March 30, 2010, and ended on July 6, 2010. After the two-part season premiere, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_&_Order:_Criminal_Intent_s…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “The author of the upcoming book “Let’s F–king Date” said many singles dismiss potential matches too quickly based on a handful of photos and prompts.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Serena Kerrigan's official Instagram profile explicitly mentions the pre-order for her book titled 'LET'S F*CKING DATE'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) [1] is an American professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 wee…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serena_Williams
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Directed by Susanne Bier, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper as newlyweds running a timber business in 1930s North Carolina. It received negative reviews and was a box office failure,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serena_(2014_film)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Serena provides essential semantic code retrieval, editing, refactoring and debugging tools that are akin to an IDE's capabilities, operating at the symbol level and exploiting relational structure. I…
https://github.com/oraios/serena
info
Claim 5: “Christina Psaras, 26, of Chicago, says wanting to go on “practice dates” with men she might not be fully attracted to is a natural response to the exhausting realities of app dating.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this specific person (Christina Psaras) consists of irrelevant results for other famous Christinas (Aguilera, Haack). No independent source confirms her specific statement, though the general trend is corroborated.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of names for the approximately 500 Type T2 tankers built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. Not included are the tankers of the Samoset/Chiwawa (T3-S-A1) typ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Type_T2_tankers
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of shipwrecks in 1908 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1908.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_1908
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — She rose to fame as a teen idol with her self-titled debut album (1999), which topped the US Billboard 200 and garnered three US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Aguilera
+ 2 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.