Love letters are all but lost

Once the staple currency of every romance, the simple art of writing a love letter has been all but lost, in an age of Snapchat and WhatsApp.

A new study has revealed that nearly half of young Brits in relationships (45 percent) aged between 18 and 35, have never written their sweetheart a love letter, while 71 percent say they would rather send a romantic WhatsApp, DM or Snap.

In fact, 88 percent say that traditional displays of affection such as love letters and flowers are old fashioned. Young lovers admit that they wouldn’t know what to say in a letter (37 percent), with a third (29 percent) confessing they would feel silly, according to the poll by Bird & Blend Tea Co. who have created a Swizzels Love Hearts Tea.

Despite this, 91 percent admit that they would be secretly delighted if their partner or crush sent them a love letter. 85 percent of the young Brits surveyed, admit that they are hoping traditional romantic gestures will eventually make a comeback.

A surprise compliment (44 percent), a poem written by the sender (30 percent), starting off with ‘my dear’ or ‘my darling’ (29 percent), neat handwriting (28 percent) and a small packet of love hearts (24 percent) would make a love letter even better, according to the 2,000 surveyed.

Krisi Smith, at Bird & Blend Tea, said: “It turns out we’re a nation of romantics and that the written word can go far in the love stakes.  Simple gestures like a written love note or simply being brought a cup of tea in bed is all we really ask for.  Small acts of kindness leave a lasting impression, which is why we send out handwritten notes with every order.  A moment of thought can lead to a lifelong memory, and we embrace that thinking daily.”

When it comes to the signs of a true romantic in the modern age, making your partner a cup of tea in bed (55 percent) comes top.Having a picture of your other half as your screensaver (44 percent), having a pet name for each other (39 percent) and not watching your favourite show without you (35 percent) are also considered a show of affection.

A quarter (22 percent) think it’s romantic when a partner deletes all their dating apps, while one in five (20 percent) love it when their partner asks them before posting a picture to their social media feeds. 

Not sliding into anyone else’s private messages (20 percent), always liking your Insta memes and reels (20 percent) and sharing a Netflix password (16 percent) were also seen as romantic.

In contrast, getting a tattoo of your name (43 percent), serenading you (36 percent), writing poetry (32 percent) and decorating the bed with petals (29 percent) were all deemed old fashioned ways of showing your romantic side.

One in four (24 percent) said that sending love letters gave them the ick, while 19 percent were turned off when their other half wanted to spend hours talking on the phone.

86 percent of the nation think that it’s a shame that old school romantic gestures, like writing a love letter or giving flowers, are not in fashion anymore, with 72 percent believing old school romantic gestures will eventually make a comeback.

10 SIGNS YOU’RE A TRUE ROMANTIC IN THE MODERN AGE:

1. Making your partner a cup of tea in bed – 55%
2. Having a pic of your other half as your screensaver – 44%
3. Having a pet name for your partner – 39%
4. Not watching your partners favourite TV show without them – 35%
5. Deleting all your dating apps – 22%
6. Never posting a picture of your partner without asking them first – 20%
7. Not sliding into the DMs of anyone else – 20%
8. Laughing and liking all your partner Insta memes and reels – 20%
9. Giving your partner your Netflix password – 16%
10. Letting them choose the Deliveroo – 12%