Swipe right on Michelle Obama's dating advice: explore to find true love

SOMETIMES, parents really do know best, even when it comes to love. Just ask Michelle Obama. The former American First Lady recently revealed the simple but powerful dating advice she gives her daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

And no, it’s not about waiting for Prince Charming or writing the perfect Hinge bio. Instead, Michelle's approach to modern dating rules (or lack thereof) is refreshingly old school: date a lot.

Speaking on her podcast, IMO, with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Michelle admitted that her own love story with Barack Obama was shaped by having plenty of dating experience first.

“T just try to get them to stay open to people,” she explained.

“The thing that I did do was date a lot. And so when Barack showed up, I had experiences to compare him against. I knew a lot of how I didn't like this. I didn’t like that”

In other words, sometimes kissing a few frogs is exactly what prepares you to recognise your Barack when he finally walks through the door.

Why the former first lady’s dating advice still hits today

At first glance, telling young women to “date more” may sound counter-intuitive in a world where ghosting, situationships, and swipe fatigue are the norm. But Michelle's advice is rooted in psychology.

According to Dr Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and a chief science advisor at Match.com, dating is essentially a learning process.