With the rise of dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Happn - deciding what to actually do on The Date can be the biggest hassle.
A gig in that pub you’ve passed by on your way back home? A three-course dinner? If most of you settle on the couple of drinks after work option – you’re on the right track to winning in your romantic life, new research says.
According to the Singles In America survey by Match, there is actually a scientific formula to the ‘perfect’ first date – a few cocktails in a bar, ideally over the course of two hours.
“By having a mixed drink, you’re going to end up being more social, more talkative, and showing more of who you are,” says biological anthropologist Helen Fischer.
A little bit of Dutch courage, we feel this...
She adds: “The first date really should be just for cocktails, because you really shouldn’t invest a lot of money or time. It’s a look-see.”
Food is a big no-no on your first meet, as Fischer believes that a drinks-only date “is extremely well built to assemble data about a potential partner.”
Translation: if he’s obnoxious to staff or comments on your looking ‘a lot older’ than your profile picture, this gives you plenty of time to bail fast. Minus that awkward ‘shall we get a dessert?’ moment.
Hmm, team Grazia is still dubious about there being a specific method to mastering a first date though, especially if you *really *like someone.
Check out these celebrities who definitely did not stick to the rules…
**Jay Z and Beyoncé. **“We were just beginning to try to date each other…well, you know, you've got to try first," Jay Z explained over his courtship with Queen Bey."You got to dazzle…wine and dine."
**Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. **"About a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and we were both single we went on a double date – she was on a date with another guy and I was on a date with another girl,’ Ryan Reynolds says.‘It was like the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across."
Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson. “It [the restaurant] was overgrown with these huge flowers, to which I had a huge allergic reaction to…I thought, ‘He’s probably gonna say let’s call it a day, let’s go home,” Diane says. Instead, Joshua sent her flowers the next day and a box of tissue. N’aaaaaaw!