Has anyone even attempted to answer the actual question?
The only time I've had luck in the dating department is by attending or, regularly attending a social engagement. Keep in mind that, all of these social engagements I was attending, whether attendance was mandatory or not, I was not there to get a date / find some one / find true love. I was there because I had to be, or because I was motivated by the aligned interests of the event / place.
For me that was highschool, psychology related self-work groups, the work place (it was a minimum wage job and I was younger at the time), and then college, and a protest.
-Anyone can go back to college at any time and community college is relatively cheap, or even free some-times with financial aid.
-There are usually all kinds of new things to learn, such that, even if you don't meet anyone, you still learn something.
--Workshops
---How to garden, sew, wood-work, glass-blowing, art, metal work, you name it..
---Career building events (all kinds of careers have all kinds of, 'related,' events, in their field, people can attend out of interest in the field).
-Activism
--Protests, events, helping out, volunteering, etc.. etc..
-Also having a common a friend introduce you to some one
--That's kind of the power of just knowing people.
---maybe you go to 3 regular social engagements for 1 year and you don't meet any dates; however, 1 year later, a new friend you made, helps you into a circumstance where you do meet some one, some one you never would have found on your own.
-I'd also add the old adage, "location! location! location!"
--You won't meet a lot of people in a town with a population of 2,000
--It's less likely you'll find brooding intellectuals down at the local pub, than at the University, or library.
--Maybe you live in a city of industry, but your more suited to the University Town mindset.
-Another adage, "It's all in the timing."
--Some times, when it rains, it pours. But that's out of our control.
---Some times brooding intellectuals, do have their night at the local pub. No way to know know that though, if you don't know them.
-And another factor is, "who are you?"
--Would you marry you?
--What's your predominant mental climate like at the moment?
---What kind of effect does that have in general, on your social engagements, if any?
I don't think I've had much luck, if any luck, however, when my primary motivator was to get a date. That's just my experience.
I haven't had luck with dating apps. I avoid them for a variety of reasons.
From my position, paradoxically, the biggest obstacle and our greatest asset to finding a partner (and having success in maintaining life-long partnership), will be our self.