How therapy is becoming the latest make-or-break dating demand

Some social media users say they want their partner to have seen a therapist, before they will consider starting a relationship with him. Image: Shutterstock

When it comes to love, we all have our gold standards. Some of us look for a partner with the same hobbies as ours, while others seem to prefer partners who've been through therapy. The latter deal-breaker is proving particularly popular on social networks, where many (young) women extol the virtues of good mental health in relationships.

On dating applications, everything is a question of criteria, whether it's age, height, professional situation, zodiac sign... or mental-health care. Many social media users now say that they want their partner to have seen a therapist before they will consider starting a relationship with them. "All men should be required to go to therapy before pursuing a relationship with anyone lol," said one Twitter user.

This new romantic requirement is particularly being echoed on TikTok, the social network of the young generations, where the #allmenneedtherapy hashtag has nearly six million views. TikTokers often use it in videos where they list the behaviors or remarks that put them off a man. This approach is reminiscent of calling out "red flags," akin to using red flags on Twitter to signal a problematic situation.

While some TikTok users use the #allmenneedtherapy hashtag seriously, others use it to humorous ends. Some of them show themselves whispering into their partner's phone, repeating the word "therapy" several times over. This is supposedly intended to influence the targeted ads that their other half will see appearing on the internet, thus boosting the number of those related to mental health.