6 Rules For First Dates

From the dating experiment and blog Post-Modern Matchmaker.

1. Don't Talk About Your Exes

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Ex-boyfriends/girlfriends/hookup buddies: we've all got 'em, but it's usually weird to hear about them on a first date. Don't risk seeming like you're not over your ex, or are bitter, or you have a lot of baggage. Avoid the subject if you can.

2. Don't Talk About Religion or Politics

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Current events topics are likely fine, but keep it light. Save your rant about Congress/the economy/climate change/Reaganomics for at least the second date.

3. Generally, Avoid Rants

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I have lots of opinions, and hopefully you do too. But a First Date is probably not the time for your five-minute monologue about people who don't use turn signals, how much you hate kale, or why the Bears lost this weekend.

4. Don’t Talk About Money

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Whether you make a little or make a lot, don't brag about it and don't complain about it. It's just tacky.

5. Don’t Be Greedy and Don’t Be Cheap

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If your date is buying (or if you're splitting the bill) don’t order the most expensive thing off the menu, and if you are the one paying (or you're splitting the bill) don’t be stingy.

6. Try To Be Nice, Pleasant, and Easy-Going

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Put your best foot forward, you only get one chance at a first impression!

Read about the (bad) date that inspired this list of rules, at Post-Modern Matchmaker.