Lakshmi Rengarajan wants you
to date your friends. (And your
coworkers. And your neighbors.)
Because dating isn’t just something single folks do. It’s the skill & craft of getting to know other people - yes your fellow humans - regardless of where that leads.
And we’re at risk of losing it forever. Dating might just be the single most important thing we rethink right now.
How to Date Humans is a year-long project using dating as the lens to figure out why connecting got so hard & what we can do about it.
Our first stop: Chicago
Distinctive observations, stubborn optimism. Chicago first. A year of innovative labs, salons, & events for anyone who cares about how humans find each other.
“It’s easy to meet,
but harder to connect.”™
We’ve been sensing this shift in dating culture for years, but it’s never made us feel this disposable before. It’s no wonder we’ve started asking if it’s worth it to date humans at all.
It’s not you, it’s us.
There’s a reason it feels like the slow progress of affection we saw in 90’s romcoms is dying: it is.
We crave connection while every new technology shoves us in the opposite direction. And who can blame us? Tech has made our lives easier than ever.
But it’s also made us more transactional & less human than ever.
Here’s the good news: we can get off this train. We can jump-start the potentially dormant parts of our hearts. And we should. Because dating isn't a means to an end -- it's a lifelong skill.
Upcoming Events
How to Date Humans:
An Introduction
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Hosted by Working From_ at The Hoxton Chicago
This might be the single most important year for relationships. And the best way to understand where we're headed? Look at what's been happening in dating.
Lakshmi will share what she's learned from watching dating culture unfold over the past 15 years, and why she believes it's the most fascinating lens we have for understanding how humans connect today.
You don't have to be single to care about this. Dating culture is a mirror—it reflects how we meet, how we trust, and what we're willing to risk for connection. If any of that matters to you, pull up a chair.
We owe it to each other to date
“Romantic hope is one of the most
important things we can believe in right now.”
Resources & Inspiration
How to Date Humans is an antidote
for all the apps, reality shows
& terrible advice that turned
daters into users &
connecting into consuming.
The human behind
How to Date Humans
Meet Lakshmi (luck-shmee)
Hi, I’m Lakshmi.
I’ve spent the past 15 years in the weeds of dating culture, being “productively obsessed” with building solutions that help people actually connect. Now, I’m trying to save romantic hope altogether.
I built How to Date Humans as a living reminder of the small, medium & large things that keep us human & make up a romantic life — even if it’s as simple as being The Neighbor with the Nice Blender.
Sometimes this work feels like an uphill battle. Sometimes I wish I just stayed the course & climbed the corporate ladder (Maybe I’d be a CMO by now!). But in my gut, I knew that this work couldn't wait.
So, we have 2 options:
We can stay the course & continue handing our humanity over to technology.
Or we can be willing to resurrect things that died for the sake of convenience. We can choose to make our connections mean something — anything. We can choose to believe in love & romance before we lose them for good.
You know which one I’ll be rooting for.
I’ve been urging people to
date like humans for awhile.
Let's actually connect.
Let's actually connect.
Reach out about hosting workshops,
partnering up on dating events,
or any press & speaking inquiries.