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The top hobbies to get you hitched

 

If you’re seeking a mate, you may want to dig out your skis, dust off that passport, or join a gym. A new survey of 47,000 Canadian singles reveals that both men and women find winter sports, travel, and health and fitness as some of the hottest hobbies out there.

EliteSingles, a Berlin-based company with operations in more than 20 countries, found that Canadian men and women valued travel the most. On the list of top 10 preferred pastimes of their ideal partner, the women surveyed favoured fine dining over movies and music, while men ranked movies and music over fancy restaurants. Both also had health and fitness as the fifth sexiest hobby.

From there, men said gardening—yes, gardening—was the next most appealing pursuit, followed by adventure sports, hiking/climbing, photography, and winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.

Women, meanwhile, are apparently attracted to men who take up reading, theatre or opera, photography, gardening, and art.

Team sports like hockey didn’t make the top 10 for either group.

What actually has sex appeal to men? It depends on the guy of course, but for some it’s a girl who likes to go out and drink ...[but] they’re not going to admit that in a survey

—Nick Savoy, president, Love Systems

To put the results in context, it helps to know that EliteSingles caters to relatively affluent professionals in the 30 to 55 age range.

“I was quite surprised gardening did so well, but I think it’s great that it’s so popular; people who use our website are looking for a long-term partner so may prefer hobbies that are more about creating a home together,” says EliteSingles spokesperson Sophie Watson on the line from Germany. “We have a more educated target market, people who don’t want to waste their time with casual dating sites.”

Watson notes too that travel topped the list among singles in every single country the company surveyed. “Nobody’s going to say they don’t like travelling,” she says. “You know that if you date a traveller, at least you’re going to get a good story.”

Think carrots and tomatoes

Gardening’s popularity, however, surprised dating experts.

“I’ve never heard affluent or non-affluent clients express a desire for a mate who’s excited about gardening,” says dating and relationship coach Kat Spiwak of Toronto’s Dating Essentials. “Given the demographic, though, it’s not that ‘out there’. That suggests more attention to activities that support an elegant home and entertaining, such as décor and landscaping….These singles are likely more mature, many with kids out of the nest, because no one with young kids is spending a ton of time on gardening projects.”

Nick Savoy, president of Hollywood-based Love Systems, which teaches men globally “how to get women”, didn’t buy gardening as a sexy hobby either—in fact, he was speechless on the line with Yahoo Canada—but he says he sees the appeal of health and fitness.

“For a lot of guys that’s huge,” Savoy says. “It suggests a woman who’s into taking care of her body and who’s enjoying her body, and sex is a lot more fun with a woman who enjoys her body and is proud of her body than a woman who’s insecure.”

Going downhill fast

Winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding are other passions that have sex appeal, Savoy says. “Going skiing can be exciting, you’re working out together, it gets your endorphins going, it can be a bit of a bonding ritual; so, yes, I can see that being sexy and seductive.”

“What actually has sex appeal to men? It depends on the guy of course, but for some it’s a girl who likes to go out and drink or a girl who likes to club,” he adds. “They’re not going to admit that in a survey, but it’s definitely hot for a lot of guys.”

The fact that men said they find adventure sports and activities like hiking to be attractive hobbies isn’t far-fetched, according to Spiwak.

“Affluent males are often ambitious or highly competitive individuals with sports backgrounds who have succeeded in the corporate world or entrepreneurs who’ve established their own businesses, so it makes sense that they continue to engage in physically stimulating activities,” she says. “Many are also adrenaline junkies.”

Steinbeck, Puccini and Picasso, in that order

Spiwak says it also seems reasonable that, according to the survey, a man needs to be an avid reader, and opera lover, and an art enthusiast to impress a woman.

“Many affluent women are educated, cerebral, sophisticated, and cultured, reflecting their interest in sharing these activities with someone special,” she says. “They’re very interested in arts and culture and also enjoy stimulating conversation. They want to be mentally stimulated by their partners.”

And while categories such as “music” and movies” aren’t necessarily enough to go on when it comes to choosing a partner, they do reflect “values and lifestyle similarities”, Spiwak says, as well as a “desire for an intelligent, mature, well-rounded individual”.