By: Aysha Schurman
There's an endless supply of dating adviceavailable in this world. While someone may tell you going on a first date dressed in a duck costume is sexy, you're probably going to discover otherwise. Most dating advice is backed by good intentions, but that doesn't always mean the advice is right.
Good advice
- Always being yourself is one of the most important pieces of dating advice around. While pretending to be a better version of yourself is a natural desire, make sure it's a better version of you, not a better version of someone else. Sooner or later, your date is going to discover the real you and have to deal with it. If there are going to personality problems, acting will only delay the issues, not prevent them.
- Always be considerate of your date. If you're going to be late, call to let her know. If you're date is a vegan, don't take him to a steak house. If your date is shy, don't constantly abandon her to talk to others. Remember your basic manners and be considerate of your date's feelings.
- Always try to relax and live in the moment. If you spend the entire night evaluating every little thing that happens, you and your date are going to have a rather boring and stressful time. Try to relax, go with the flow and enjoy yourself. Besides, someone who smiles is always a better date then someone who frowns.
Bad Advice
- Jumping into bed together on the first date is never a good plan of attack. Most people need to get to know each other a little bit before they feel comfortable with such intimacy. Those who are willing to jump into bed right away are more likely looking for a quick fling and not the start to a serious relationship.
- Complete honesty with your date is the kind of advice that can backfire. While you want to be basically honest with a date, you don't need to confess every time you picked your nose in the last 20 years. There's a limit to how much honesty anyone can deal with at one time. Telling your date that they have bad breath, that you think the waiter is sexy or that you have stinky gas is just being too honest.
- Discussing opinions about marriage right away may be a great way to find out if your relationship can turn serious, but it's also a great way to scare off a potential spouse for good. Don't get into those serious relationship discussions until you know the person well enough to warrant such a topic. Otherwise you seen obsessed and overly aggressive, which is enough to scare off any average date.
