dating study
Two factors decide whether something will come of a relationship
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After a good first date, how do we decide if we can imagine a relationship with the person? In a study, researchers primarily identify these two factors.
For many people, the early days of a relationship are the most exciting: we get to know someone and get to know each other, we weigh up whether the flirt could even turn into a relationship. Is this person really a match for me, we ask ourselves.
What factors actually determine whether one or two successful dates can become more? Would we like to see the person again and maybe even imagine a partnership? A research team from the USA has devoted itself to these questions.
Study: What is important when getting to know each other?
The researchers at the University of California have in one big study examines what factors make us want to see someone after a date—and whether it becomes more. A total of 550 participants went on 6,600 speed dates and were then questioned in detail. The results of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
In fact, there are apparently two main things that decide whether a relationship could develop after a date: popularity and compatibility. Popularity is about the attractiveness of the person, but also about how successful they are at work, for example. This is how we assess how popular our date is – we kind of check the “market value” – and based on that we decide whether he/she is suitable for us as a partner.
First impressions count when dating
The second important factor is compatibility with our counterpart. In order to find out how well we fit together, we intuitively scan during the conversation whether we have similar values and ideas about how we want to shape our lives. But the sense of humor, for example, should also harmonize.
If both aspects pass the date test, this is a good prerequisite for a second or third meeting and for us to want to get to know the person further. And if everything goes well, maybe even a relationship will come of it.
Sources used: psychologytoday.com, pnas.org