Hints and Clear Signals: Dating Tips

When it comes to dating, it can be difficult to know what the other person is thinking. Learn how to send and receive the right signals.

“Always treat each other with respect, whether or not you are interested, whether or not you are dating, and whether or not you used to date that person.”

Feeling uncertain when it comes to dating is normal. It can be hard to pick up on clues to understand who is or is not interested. Is the girl you see every day in class interested? Is the guy who always smiles at you too afraid to ask you out? How can you know, and how can you help a potential date feel more comfortable?

These are some of the questions Kimberly Webb answers in an Ensign article entitled “Dating: ‘He Says,’ ‘She Says.’”

To navigate relationships, it is important to pay attention to clues, such as someone making an effort to be around you, looking into your eyes when talking with you, and seeming comfortable and happy in your presence. These are clues that that person may be interested in some kind of relationship, whether friendship, dating, or courtship. It may be difficult to differentiate between the three, yet they all begin in the same way: by simply being friendly.

Be friendly to everyone; people enjoy being around those who make them feel good about themselves. While being friendly, however, focus the most attention and affection on the person you are interested in dating so that he or she can tell that you’re interested. Paying special attention to one person will also send the signal to others that although you are friendly, you are not necessarily interested in a dating relationship.

Don’t overanalyze. One interviewee notes that a date is simply “a few hours with [someone] who may or may not be interested.” The dating atmosphere should be relaxed, leaving both people comfortable to open up and be themselves.

If a relationship ends up not working out, says one single adult, “remember that the person you’re rejecting is someone else’s future spouse.” Always treat each other with respect, whether or not you are interested, whether or not you are dating, and whether or not you used to date that person. Webb points out that “it’s possible to form lasting friendships . . . and maintain friendly feelings toward one another.” This is true even if you don’t end up marrying that person.

Read Kimberly Webb’s Ensign article “Dating: ‘He Says,’ ‘She Says.’”

Source: Ensign
—Charlotte Noelle Champenois, Mormon Insights

Find more insights

Read about what to look for in a potential spouse.

Check out this short reminder of what kind of person you want to marry.

Learn about the history of and beliefs about LDS dating and courtship.

Read about the importance of marriage.

Read what some couples say about “Why Marriage Is Awesome.”