LoveDating"Friends-First" Dating Is Keeping the Dream of the Meet-Cute AliveBy Emma Glassman-HughesPublished on Nov 7, 2025 at 8:00 AMGetty | FOXGetty | FOXA few years ago, a single friend of mine did what many only dream of: she stopped swiping. She was still seeking a romantic partner, but she was tired of wading through the equivalent of an Olympic-size swimming pool of new strangers each day to try to find one. Instead, she asked her friends to set her up with people they knew, betting there was someone already within her larger circles who might make a better match.