The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a new survey advising young investors to invest with romantic considerations and a long-term mindset.

The study, which explores the investing behaviors and attitudes of young people, shows that young investors think longer term about dating than they do about investing: only 31% invest to earn more money than they would in a savings account, while nearly half (48%) spend their time on dating to find a life partner.

They were also 18 percent more likely to be influenced by social media when making investment decisions compared to dating choices.

With young people increasingly using online dating and investment platforms, the FCA is exploring similarities to encourage better investment decisions. It surveyed 1,000 young investors who also use online dating platforms to understand their influence, motivation, risk appetite and research methodology in two aspects of their lives.

With higher interest rates and inflation driving new investors into risky, high-return assets, the FCA emphasises the importance of spotting red flags, not letting emotions cloud judgment and avoiding getting caught up in online "hype". More than a quarter of respondents (27 percent) agree that investing and dating have an initial honeymoon period, while a third (33 percent) admit that they can both be a highly emotional experience.

Adopt a long-term mindset

While half (48%) of respondents said they were dating to find a potential life partner, their investment outlook was much shorter, with only 2% of investors thinking more than a 5-year time frame when investing, and 14% not having a time frame fully in mind.

Less than a third of investors have specific long-term goals in mind when investing, and only 31% make more money from their investments than they do from their savings accounts.

Investing with long-term goals in mind can help overcome the hype and smooth out the effects of market ups and downs.

Watch out for red flags

Lucy Castledine, director of consumer investment at the FCA, noted that investors seem to put less time into thinking about their investment decisions than they do about their relationships. In the face of higher interest rates and inflation, risky investments are becoming more attractive. As such, she reiterated the importance of identifying red flags, making rational decisions and avoiding succumbing to online hype.

The study shows that men are more likely to continue dating despite spotting red flags (49% versus 39% of women) and are more likely to continue investing after spotting warning signs (39% versus 28%).

Ignoring red flags and investing reckfully can put money at higher risk, reinforcing the importance of checking that investments are regulated and conducting thorough research to ensure that investments are appropriate for individual circumstances.

Beware of Internet hype

The FCA study also looked at the impact of social media advertising on relationship and investment decisions. While 57 percent of respondents said scrolling through a potential love interest's social media profile was the most popular way to prepare for a date, 33 percent said they were able to ignore the hype about a potential match's social profile. On the contrary, only 20% of people are able to ignore the Internet hype.