The Basics of Dating

Dating is the process of courtship in which individuals engage in social activities either alone or together with others with the aim of finding potential spouses for marriage. Although traditions and protocols vary across cultures, generally dating is done to build long-term committed relationships or marriages.

Though dating may have existed forever, its modern form only emerged during the early 1900s. At that time, cities were becoming more densely populated while recreational opportunities outside the home grew quickly. Furthermore, various cultural influences provided more women with the ability to select their partner.

Dating refers to the process of discovering mutual romantic and sexual interests between two people, often through casual meetings like dining out, seeing movies or attending live performances; more intimate encounters such as having sexual encounters may also qualify as dating.

Attraction is the cornerstone of dating; when you meet someone and find them attractive in appearance, personality or laugh at your corny jokes, the excitement can begin! Intimacy may soon follow and both parties get to know one another better and determine whether there is real potential between them.

As you progress with dating, emotional intimacy will likely ensue, as both of you share intimate details about each other’s lives and feelings about the person you’re seeing. While some may hesitate to reveal too much too soon, it is crucial that both individuals show who they really are early on so as to build trust and establish healthy foundations for the relationship moving forward.

At this stage, you will likely find yourselves spending increasingly more time together, meeting each other’s friends and family members, and becoming better acquainted. At this stage, plans for the future might begin being discussed; if exclusiveness is desired, an honest conversation should take place to establish each person’s expectations from their relationship.

Sometimes you may decide that you’re not yet ready for commitment, yet would like to continue dating with someone in hopes of reigniting the spark. It is essential that both parties understand what their expectations for the relationship are early on so as not to waste each other’s time. However, if your relationship seems uncertain or has taken an unexpected path than originally discussed it is perfectly fine to end things and move forward; though this may be difficult at first but is necessary if happiness in the long run.