Match.com conducted a survey on a diverse group of 5500 singles and compiled results into the sixth annual Singles in America study. The study took a look at factors into scoring a second date, politics, exes, trends, and much more.
Here are my opinions and some stats on what it takes to score a second date.
First Impressions
I'm not really a believer of "love at first sight." I mean I'll look at a person and go "damn he's cute" but I don't feel any "love." (not that I can say I've actually ever been in love anyway)
But that's the mentality most people have going into a first date. Stats say that "59% of men and women do not expect to feel chemistry until the second date." However, most will go on a second date - even if they hadn't felt romantic chemistry the first time - largely because they feel that the person may "grow on them."
Friendly Debates
Some people expect you to be politically correct, but when you've decided to be in a long-term relationship with someone, it's extremely difficult to filter what you say 100% of the time. Most people prefer to be with those who share similar viewpoints, too.
Talking politics may not have been a good date topic in the past, but now, "a good discussion on any political issue can boost your chances of a second date by 91%." People often do look for intelligence and a social-conscious significant other.
The majority of people don't care much for sports, or the Kardashians, either. Just don't talk about exes!
Food
I personally don't care whether dinner's at a fancy diner or a local mom and pop restaurant. I usually choose to go dutch, anyway. Food is food, and food is good. Plus, there's always the menu to pick at if the conversation halts.
Though apparently, sushi is a big winner. "Sushi boosts your chances of a second date by 170%, and singles often choose soda/iced tea (29%). I don't think the expensive restaurant is necessary, though I can see why it could be a bonus.
Time and Day
"Most singles prefer to go on a date in the evening (60%), where only 22% prefer a date in the afternoon. Saturday is also the best day of the week for a date (39%)."
For me, what we're doing that determines the time of day we meet up. For example, lunch and a hike sounds great... but those are afternoon things. Dinner in the evening sounds good. Basic stuff.
Moreover, "50% of men and 36% of women agree that a man should pay on the first date." Although that's the "traditional" method, I think many people are also going dutch these days. Dates get costly. It could also be noted that "both sexes agree that a second date should cost a little more," which makes sense, since first dates are usually a bit more of a conservative test of waters.
Here's an infographic to sum things up. Although I don't completely agree with it, it's still pretty cute with a bit of truth.
How do you feel about all this?
If you liked the take, I'll post a similar part 2 :)
Thanks for reading, cheers!
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