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First dates are confusing. What to wear, where to go, what to say, whether to kiss , how it ends: there’s a jumble of questions that race through your head as you prepare for your first date. But no matter how hard you try to prepare yourself for what’s to come, things can still go wrong. You just never know what’s going to happen.
On top of that, the first date itself is an awkward time for most people. You’re probably sweating profusely, shaking nervously, and laughing a little too hard at their jokes. And that’s not even counting the weird things you say when your nerves are running wild.
Dating app Meetic was curious about what can go wrong during a first date. Because if no one can really be themselves during a first meeting, then we probably do enough things that others are put off by. To discover what the biggest date turn-offs are for Flemish singles, the dating app conducted research among 1,000 Flemish people. It turns out that these are the five things you should never do on a date.
1. Bragging about yourself
A first date is your chance to get to know the other person better, not to promote yourself. Listing all your achievements and going on and on about why you’re so great? That sounds more like you’ve come for a job interview than for a date. Bragging about yourself is a big turn-off for your date partner, that’s also the idea among Flemish singles. 89% of Flemish singles say that an arrogant date will not get a second date.
All that self-promotion can seem like you don’t care about the person you’re dating. Talking only about yourself without asking a single question doesn’t please Flemish singles either. Almost half of the respondents find this form of arrogance such a turn-off that they would leave during the date. So remind yourself that a date is a two-way street, not a parade dedicated to you.
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2. Pretending to be someone else
In the age of computers and apps, it’s pretty easy to lie about yourself . As you’ve seen on the show Catfish, people can pretend to be someone they’re not for years. But once they meet in person, the mystery is gone. For most singles, this “mirage” experience is a huge turn-off – when they find themselves on a date with someone who turns out to be completely different in real life.
According to the research, 84% of Flemish singles find this a major dealbreaker. A third of them don’t even want a second date after that. Interestingly enough, singles find it a bigger turn-off when the personality doesn’t match the image they had than the appearance. A different appearance is not a turn-off in all cases, because 60% of the respondents say that looking different from the photos is not that important.
3. Spending too much time on your smartphone
Whether you pause the date to take the perfect Instagram-worthy photo or text your friends during the date, it’s a turn-off if you do it too much. If you’re on your smartphone the whole time, it seems like you’re not connected to the person you’re with. And even if you make it clear that you are, you’re still setting a bad example of wrong priorities. 80% of Flemish singles don’t like it when their date partner is looking at a screen the whole time. It’s also anything but romantic.
Now that we’re talking about distractions, almost two-thirds of Flemish singles (64%) also find it a real no-go if you pay more attention to the people around you in the cafe or restaurant than to your date partner. It actually makes sense, because besides being rude, it also shows a lack of respect.
ALSO READ: Is He The One? Not If He Does These 25 Things
4. Have nothing to say
A conversation requires at least two people to be called a dialogue. If you or your date don’t say anything, there is essentially no date. Having nothing to say or not contributing anything to the conversation is a major turn-off – more so for women than for men. 83% of women find this a huge turn-off compared to 66% of men. For 75% of respondents, a lack of interest in the conversation is at least reason enough not to prolong the evening any longer than necessary.
ALSO READ: 35 Playful Dates to Keep Your Relationship Alive
5. Talking about an ex
A first date is the start of something new. It is not the time to talk about your previous relationships. More than half of Flemish singles (53%) indicate that stories about previous relationships are a dealbreaker on a first date. Especially the 55+ are of the opinion that you should leave your relationship history at home during a first date, with 60% of them sharing this opinion.
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