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Osvaldo Ponton via 40 Days of Dating
Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman — two friends with opposite relationship problems — found themselves single at the same time. As an experiment, they dated for 40 days.
As the old adage goes, it takes 40 days to make a new habit. But does the same apply to habits people make in relationships?
That’s the question two dating-weary New Yorkers posed in their new site, fortydaysofdating.com. Designers Timothy Goodman, 32, and Jessica Walsh, 26, longtime platonic pals, decided to turn “When Harry Met Sally” on its head and go for broke — for better or for worse.
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The two Chelsea residents told the Daily News that it was one part social experiment, one part design project. “In an attempt to explore our habits and fears in relationships, we decided that ‘dating’ each other for 40 days could be a way to explore this,” they explained.
Osvaldo Ponton via 40 Days of Dating
Jessica Walsh, 26, was unsuccessfully searching for ‘the one’ when she accepted the challenge of dating a friend of four years.
“Having the boundaries of a project allowed us to take on that challenge,” Goodman said.
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Each came into the project with vastly different histories. Walsh has been on an unsuccessful quest to find “the one” and Tim is enjoying the freedom of being single, a self-described commitment-phobe. They just happened to be single at the same time and were jaded over the New York City dating scene.
Because the 40 days of dating were an experiment, there were several controlled elements — for instance, they had to see each other every day, go on a date three times a week and see a couple’s therapist once a week.
Osvaldo Ponton via 40 Days of Dating
Timothy Goodman, 32, said that he enjoys the freedom of being single and feels smothered in most relationships.
But others were more unconventional. “On day 31, we held hands for eight hours straight and captured it on film — even in the bathroom!” Walsh said.
Even in the controlled realm of a 40-day project, the heart is an unknown and prone to be fickle. For Goodman, it meant letting someone in. “It had been a long time since I let someone get close to me, and that was important,” he said.
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fortydaysofdating.com
The dating duo will release one day at a time on their site, fortydaysofdating.com, until August.
Walsh added: “The project forced me to confront past issues head on, and I am definitely a stronger person because of it.”
But not everything was a life lesson. “I also learned that Jessica doesn’t check her text messages much,” Goodman said.
RELATED: LOVE TIPS FOR THE DATING SCENE
“I learned that Tim eats cheese puffs,” Walsh offered.
Though the dates themselves happened between March and April, the duo is releasing each day from now until Aug. 18.
But do they get physical? Or perhaps kiss dating goodbye at the end?
“You’ll have to wait and find out!” the not-so-couple couple said.
