Dating apps promised efficiency. Instead they delivered burnout, ghosting and endless disappointment.

So a growing number of young people are skipping the algorithm entirely and reaching for something older, weirder and oddly comforting: magic.

A new Datinggroup survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults found that 64% of Gen Z and 51% of millennials have tried at least one spiritual, psychic or “witchy” practice to improve their love lives. From paying for love spells on Etsy to daily manifestation scripting and tarot readings, young daters are treating the mystical as a legitimate dating strategy.

In 2026, when technical solutions feel broken, abstract hope is having a serious moment.

The Numbers Behind the Magic

The survey paints a clear generational divide:

• Gen Z (64%) and Millennials (51%) are by far the most active
• Gen X: 25%
• Baby Boomers: only 12%

Specific tactics tried:

• Manifestation or scripting: 29% of Gen Z
• Saw a psychic: 25% of Gen Z
• Paid for a love spell or ritual: nearly 1 in 5 Gen Z (19%)
• Tarot reader: 17% of Gen Z
• Astrology/compatibility charts: popular across millennials (18%) and Gen Z (16%)
• Crystals and spiritual tools: 10% of millennials

Magic is clearly a young person’s game.

Why Young Daters Are Choosing Spells Over Swipes

The motivations are revealing. Older generations mostly cite curiosity or entertainment. Gen Z is far more serious:

• Wanted a relationship to improve: 22% of Gen Z (vs 8% of boomers)
• Wanted to attract someone new
• Wanted an ex back: 13% of Gen Z
• Desperation or heartbreak

Only 15% of Gen Z say they do it purely for fun (compared with 40% of boomers). For many young people, these practices are less about cosplay and more about reclaiming a sense of agency when dating feels chaotic and powerless.

As one trend observer put it, there’s something in magic that the current dating industry simply isn’t delivering: hope, ritual, and the feeling that you can influence your romantic fate.

Does It Actually Work?

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Nearly half of Gen Z (46%) and millennials (44%) say their spiritual or magical efforts “worked” at least somewhat — whether attracting someone new, improving a relationship, or (sometimes) getting an ex back.

• Gen Z most often said it “kind of” worked (29%)
• Millennials were most likely to say it fully worked (23%)
• Only 35% of Gen Z said it didn’t work at all (vs 66% of boomers)

A meaningful chunk across all ages said it’s “too soon to tell.” Young people remain hopeful that the payoff might still arrive.

Of course, success is subjective. A well-timed tarot reading or manifestation practice can shift mindset, boost confidence, and make someone show up differently in dating — which can look a lot like “magic working.”

Trust Rankings: Therapy Still Wins, But Magic Is Climbing

Gen Z hasn’t abandoned evidence-based help. 38% still trust therapy most for dating guidance.

But non-traditional sources are gaining surprising ground:

• Daily astrology: 14% of Gen Z prefer it over everything else
• Psychics & tarot: 10%
• Love spells: 8%
• Dating coaches: only 7%

That last number is telling. For some, a successful experience with a dating coach feels more far-fetched than a psychic reading. Magic requires faith. Coaching requires emotional work and confronting uncomfortable truths. Many people find faith easier in the short term.

As we age, trust shifts toward friends and family (only 23% of Gen Z vs 50% of boomers). The comfort of real human relationships eventually outranks the stars.

The Comfort (and Risk) of Magical Thinking

There’s real psychological value here. Rituals, whether lighting a candle, writing a script, or pulling cards, create structure and hope during lonely or confusing periods. They can reduce anxiety and restore a sense of control.

The risk is using magic as a substitute for action — waiting for the universe to deliver a soulmate instead of working on communication skills, emotional availability, or simply putting yourself in the path of other humans.

The healthiest approach many young people seem to be landing on is hybrid: therapy + a little witchy self-reflection. Tarot as a journaling prompt. Astrology as a conversation starter. Manifestation as clarified intention rather than passive wishing.

What This Trend Reveals About Modern Dating

The explosion of Gen Z spiritual practices for love is a direct response to dating-app exhaustion. When swiping feels empty and coaching feels clinical, the ancient human impulse to seek meaning and influence through ritual rushes back in.

It also reflects a broader cultural moment: astrology memes, witch-tok, crystal stores in every city, and a generation comfortable mixing the mystical with the mundane.

Whether a $15 Etsy love spell can rewrite fate is beside the point. What matters is that tens of thousands of young people feel so disempowered by modern dating that they’re willing to try.

Final Thoughts

64% of Gen Z have already experimented with spiritual, psychic or witchy tools in the hope of better love. Nearly half believe it helped at least a little.

In a dating landscape that often feels algorithmic, cold and out of control, the return of ritual and magic makes perfect emotional sense. It restores wonder. It creates private ceremony. It lets people feel proactive when the apps make them feel passive.

You don’t have to believe in spells to understand the hunger behind them.

When technical solutions fail us, humans have always reached for something bigger — stars, cards, intention, faith. In 2026 that impulse is alive and well, and it’s wearing crystals and quoting tarot.

Whether you’re pulling cards tonight or rolling your eyes at the whole thing, one truth remains: people will keep searching for love by any means available. Right now, for a surprising number of young daters, that means a little bit of magic.

Have you ever tried astrology, tarot, manifestation or a love spell for your romantic life? Did it help, or was it just comforting in the moment?
Share your honest experiences in the comments — skeptics, believers and “I just like the aesthetic” people all welcome.

More on finding love beyond the apps:

• Dating App Fatigue: What to Try Instead
• Using Astrology as a Self-Reflection Tool
• Manifestation vs Actual Dating Action
• The Psychology of Ritual in Modern Romance
• When Spiritual Practices Support (or Replace) Real Work
• Intentional Dating When You’re Done with Algorithms

Sometimes the most radical dating strategy is remembering that not everything has to be optimized.
Some things can still be a little bit magic.