Online dating sites are anticipating a huge surge on New Year's Day
Plenty of Fish is predicting that Sunday, January 1 is going to be the online dating platform's busiest day of the year.
The company expects new member sign ups to reach 110,546 - a 48% increase from the average daily rate in 2016. Sign ups are expected to peak at around 2pm.
This isn't the first time that the first Sunday of the new year was expected to yield major traffic for online dating websites.
Last year, both Match and Plenty of Fish predicted Sunday, January 3 would be the biggest day for new member sign ups of the year. More generally, the period from Christmas to Valentine's Day is the hottest time for people to sign up for dating sites, while Sunday is the most popular day of the week to sign up.
"After watching football games and going to New Year's Day parties solo, singles often think about new beginnings," online dating expert Julie Spira wrote last year on Match.com. "From joining a gym to going on a diet, the list often includes finding someone to have a meaningful relationship with."
Other reasons for the New Year's sign up explosion, according to Spira, include the prevalence of December breakups and the toll that watching couples having romantic holidays can take on people who aren't in relationships.