Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory Mating Crisis: Why The Rate Of Single Men Looking For Dates Has Declined | William Costello PT 2 (Fan Fave)
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Mar 7, 2026 
William Costello, behavioral researcher and PhD student studying mating dynamics and incel communities. He digs into how COVID shifted risk attitudes, how dating apps concentrate sexual access, and why many men retreat into online identities. They also explore AI’s role in easing loneliness and serving as practice for real-world social skills.
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Two Paths For Helping Disenfranchised Men
- Offer two intervention routes: help re-engage incels with the mating market or redirect them toward alternative meaningful pursuits.
- Costello and Tom agree some men may need different 'north stars' and better coping patterns when mating isn't viable.
AI Partners Scratch Loneliness But Not Status
- AI partners can satisfy loneliness and sexual needs but won't provide social status from sexual selection.
- Costello notes AI girlfriends might relieve loneliness but won't confer the status signals tied to real-world selection.
Tom Considers AI Children To Preserve Marriage
- Tom Bilyeu reveals he prefers pets and hypothetical AI kids as partial substitutes for parenting to avoid long-term marital strain.
- He imagines speeding up or compressing child development to avoid extended teenage years and protect his marriage.
