Terrible dating advice

Phasmal

Sailor Jupiter Woman
Jun 10, 2011
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Frokane said:
Did one of these internet dating gurus just say that 'self-deprecation is attractive' who ever said that should really start giving seminars. Next time I'm looking for a date I'll start telling every girl how weird and shy and loser-ish I am and see where it gets me.
A bit of self deprecating humour is funny. It shows that you're human and comfortable talking about your own flaws. Being an ass and being like `oh god I'm a loser` is just going to scare people off.

Frokane said:
I'm saying that if you are a male and you want to meet a girl you have to be aware of things like physical attraction, the things you say and how you present yourself...you know SOCIAL AWARENESS AND REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. Someone is gonna tell me that this doesn't matter now? I am speaking for most girls yes because girls are PEOPLE and most PEOPLE dont find completely socially unaware PEOPLE attractive.
Did you know if you're anyone and you want to meet anyone you have to be aware of physical attraction, the things you say, and how you present yourself?
This is not exclusive to boys wanting to meet girls. Literally everyone has to deal with that.

Frokane said:
And this 'everybody is different' 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' shit is wack.
Really? So you've never been attracted to someone that, say, your friends weren't- or the other way around? Beauty is uniform and everyone has the same standard? How boring.
Frokane said:
You have to generalise to give advice, am i going to tell people that personal hygenine isnt important because "some girls like guys who stink"? no that's ridiculous.
You do have to generalise to give advice, sometimes, yeah. But you can do it without rudely stereotyping women with your `we're only attracted to tall-` bla bla bla.

Frokane said:
So either give some constructive dating advice or shut up.
If you haven't before, I'd reccommend checking out-
http://www.doctornerdlove.com/
He generally gives out good advice.

A bit of general advice- try to improve yourself as a person before you go out looking for someone else. Get comfortable and happy in yourself. A positive outlook will get you a lot further than a negative one.
Also realise that you will probably be rejected and that's okay. No woman is obligated to hear the sales pitch. But still, rejection hurts, but try not to take it personally or hold it against women as a whole. That last part is very important.
Some guys think they can hide bitterness towards women in general, and really, you can't. We will notice.
 

cdfgku

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Jan 2, 2015
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Lightspeaker said:
cdfgku said:
Just general. And not all of the time. It depends upon the situation really. I tend to need to know people but interestingly I'm very good at making acquaintances; I'm very bad at anything beyond that though.

Old school friends, one or two people met through those people, and I guess one or two from all my time at Uni. That is to say I made like...one close friend (defined by 'I keep in contact with them somewhat') in nine years of Uni. Yup.

Funnily enough I'm actually pretty good at faking confidence. It doesn't help much though.

BloatedGuppy said:
Heh, I can imagine. I still have a gigantic mental block about the very idea of signing up on one though. Funnily enough my sister was on one for a while, because she just says 'screw it' and goes for things.

Internet in general has been good for talking to people with similar interests and attitudes. Of course its a lot harder when those you're getting on well with are people who aren't even on the same continent.
I would really recommend internet dating. Yes to some it has the stigma attached of only being for nerds or whatever, but this is a view that is quickly fading. I can tell you that most of my friends have given it a shot at some point or another. I met my current g/f of 5 years on internet dating. My friend who convinced me to sign up originally met his wife on it.

I guess the main advantages of internet dating is that if you meet someone on it, you know you are both looking for a relationship and are there for the same thing.
You will have spoken to them through email for a bit first so you will have at least a rough idea of personality.
You will know ahead of time if they share similar interest and can even look up some of their interests to get a bit of a conversation topic lined up for any potential quiet moments.
You will have both seen pictures of each other so you don't need to worry about whether they find you attractive or not as that has already been confirmed.

As you mentioned it depends on the situation and you need to know someone first. With internet dating you will be able to get to know them a little and when arranging a date you can pick a location/scenario that you are comfortable in.
 

cdfgku

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Jan 2, 2015
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idon said:
cdfgku said:
When you are younger, whether in school/college/uni or starting out in your first couple of jobs you are meeting people all the time... Snip.

Hope this helps. Any questions let me know.
Okay sorry to single you out, but what if I'm not? I'm in university, fifth year in a faculty that is about 80% guys, and I'm a straight dude myself, so yeah. Classes are small, I work with the same people every day, no girls around that I'm into. Well, except for one but I'm pretty sure she's not interested. I work at school all day then go home, and I'm pretty introverted so I like having that time to be home, I don't really feel like joining a club or something and going to that at night. (Although maybe that's what I have to do?) I'm friendly with people at school, but we don't do a whole lot outside of school, people just do their own things mostly. I've been single for... well all my life. I've had issues in the past and I know that depression isn't an attractive feature, but I'm depressed because I've been single forever. What should I be doing? People say to just, "Be happy/confident", but it's hard to just decide to do that when I don't honestly feel that way.
If the issue is you aren't meeting people then I'd recommend internet dating as the way forward. I went through the benefits of it in a post a few mins back so I won't say them again, but I am inclined to think it is the best modern way of meeting people. Other than that it would have to be a question of changing up your routine to be in new situations, whether that is joining a club or taking night classes. I've moved countries a couple of times and each time I did I signed up to a class I was interested in purely as a means to learn some new things with the bonus or getting some friends in a new place.

As for the people in your Uni, everyone might be in the same boat for all you know. If there is someone or a group of folks you get on with well, suggest doing something together. I mean if you are going to see a new film that they have said they want to go see, do it together. Or just suggest going out for a beer on a Friday.

As for the depression, I won't say "Be happy/confident" as that is probably useless advice. The thing is depression doesn't need to be attractive or unattractive, it is just another element to you. I would advise avoiding discussing it on the first few dates so as to keep things light, but once you find a decent partner they would be understanding and it wouldn't bother them.
 

Eddie the head

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Feb 22, 2012
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If Charles Darwin was right and ignorance more frequently begets confidence than dose knowledge, and women find confidence attractive that just means I'm too smart to be attractive. At least that's what I tell myself when I cry myself to sleep at night.

I kid, but seriously I have very little interest dating in general. I'm a pretty happy guy, so I can't imagine I would be much happier in a relationship. Actually now that I think about it I might be borderline asexual. Seriously I have very little interest in this shit for my own part. Although it is interesting to watch form the side how people in relationships act. So what I guess I'm saying is I don't have any dating advice good or bad.
 

DefunctTheory

Not So Defunct Now
Mar 30, 2010
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Sarge034 said:
AccursedTheory said:
A. Fake it. I know, stupid. Silly. Completely bullshit example. But here's the thing - It can work. Maybe not for everyone, but their some truth to the whole 'Fake it till you make it' thing. If you act mean, you probably wont be very convincing at first. Laughable perhaps. But if you keep at it, eventually you will be convincingly mean. The same goes for confidence. Eventually, if you just keep working at it, some of it may just stick.
This is an example of horrible advice. Work to become more confident? Yes, absolutely. Fake it? Hell fucking no. You start a relationship on a lie, you lay a bad foundation, and well... you can only act for so long. The house of cards will collapse at some point.

I had another one, but I can't top that...
Except that is in no way what I said. I didn't say lie to everyone and start relationships this way, I said fake confidence in social interactions and you may become more confident as a result. Its simple practice, and it may not work for you, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me a lying advocate.
 

LetalisK

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May 5, 2010
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BloatedGuppy said:
Lightspeaker said:
Heh, I can imagine. I still have a gigantic mental block about the very idea of signing up on one though.
Well if you ever want help, feel free to give me a shout. It's been a long time since I've had to date, but I have a reasonably good handle on what goes into a decent dating profile. I helped a friend at work troubleshoot hers a month or two ago.
Troubleshooting dating profiles. We are such a nerdy society. :D
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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LetalisK said:
BloatedGuppy said:
Lightspeaker said:
Heh, I can imagine. I still have a gigantic mental block about the very idea of signing up on one though.
Well if you ever want help, feel free to give me a shout. It's been a long time since I've had to date, but I have a reasonably good handle on what goes into a decent dating profile. I helped a friend at work troubleshoot hers a month or two ago.
Troubleshooting dating profiles. We are such a nerdy society. :D
Not until someone asks "have you tried turning it off and on again?"
 

Thaluikhain

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Jan 16, 2010
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Something Amyss said:
LetalisK said:
BloatedGuppy said:
Lightspeaker said:
Heh, I can imagine. I still have a gigantic mental block about the very idea of signing up on one though.
Well if you ever want help, feel free to give me a shout. It's been a long time since I've had to date, but I have a reasonably good handle on what goes into a decent dating profile. I helped a friend at work troubleshoot hers a month or two ago.
Troubleshooting dating profiles. We are such a nerdy society. :D
Not until someone asks "have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Isn't that just "go to bed and worry about it in the morning"?
 

Sleepy Sol

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Feb 15, 2011
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Any dating advice I could give would probably be pretty useful as a guide on how not to date.

Never been on a real date. Ridiculous social anxiety ho!

That and I don't see myself desiring a relationship yet with my previous experiences and how generally unhappy I am with myself. Would rather sort myself out before getting into that sort of thing again. Most of my experiences with long-distance relationships have been positively godawful so that's influenced my thoughts quite a bit as well. Though I can't say I regret them considering I wouldn't quite be who I am without them.
 

Eclipse Dragon

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Eddie the head said:
I kid, but seriously I have very little interest dating in general. I'm a pretty happy guy, so I can't imagine I would be much happier in a relationship. Actually now that I think about it I might be borderline asexual. Seriously I have very little interest in this shit for my own part
I'm asexual and in a relationship, though I didn't much care until I turned 25 and told myself "Hey I'm a pretty happy person, let me find someone else equally happy and maybe the result will be better than the sum of it's parts."

For the most part, it's going pretty good, but that was a choice I decided to make for myself. If you are happy being single and living your life, that is great and don't ever let anyone tell you that you need another person to be happy.

-------------

OT: Speaking of outdated dating advice, I always thought "co-dependence" and "the spark" are pretty damn outdated. This whole "my other half" stuff as if I wouldn't be able to function without this other person in my life. IMO it seems like an unhealthy way to approach a relationship. What if the person I view as "my other half" is a toxic, mentally abusive asshole, then I'm stuck in a relationship that is damaging and can't step away because I believe I would be less without this person in my life.

Same issue with "The spark" just because there's a spark doesn't mean it's "meant to be" and just because there's no spark doesn't mean it's not an excellent match.
 

Qizx

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Feb 21, 2011
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Something Amyss said:
LetalisK said:
BloatedGuppy said:
Lightspeaker said:
Heh, I can imagine. I still have a gigantic mental block about the very idea of signing up on one though.
Well if you ever want help, feel free to give me a shout. It's been a long time since I've had to date, but I have a reasonably good handle on what goes into a decent dating profile. I helped a friend at work troubleshoot hers a month or two ago.
Troubleshooting dating profiles. We are such a nerdy society. :D
Not until someone asks "have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Actually that's not a bad idea... The longer you're on a dating site the more your profile sits there maybe people will get nervous and start to wonder why you've been there so long! So maybe cancel it and reopen it later with a new picture.


(Just to make clear yes I certainly got the joke, I'm just adding something to it)
 

Cycloptomese

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When I was very young, my mother sat me down and told me "Son, I'm only going to tell you this once. If she smokes, she pokes."
 

IamLEAM1983

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Aug 22, 2011
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The generalities are indeed pretty horrible, but once you leave the platitudes behind and get down to basics, there's at least one tidbit left to consider:

Treat the opposite gender as the human beings they are. Women aren't an omniscient collective, men aren't primates entirely beholden to their loins. We're imperfect, we're flawed, we're complex. We're never going to open up entirely on the first date - nobody does that. You have to date the whole of the other person - warts and all, and not what you'd expect to find in them after a few dates.

Oh, and also disregard the Men's Rights movement for the stupid bullcrap it is, sites like Return of Kings should just rename themselves to "The Mysoginistic and Hilariously Outdated Pig's Handbook to Eternal Celibacy".
 

Eddie the head

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Eclipse Dragon said:
Eddie the head said:
I kid, but seriously I have very little interest dating in general. I'm a pretty happy guy, so I can't imagine I would be much happier in a relationship. Actually now that I think about it I might be borderline asexual. Seriously I have very little interest in this shit for my own part
I'm asexual and in a relationship, though I didn't much care until I turned 25 and told myself "Hey I'm a pretty happy person, let me find someone else equally happy and maybe the result will be better than the sum of it's parts."

For the most part, it's going pretty good, but that was a choice I decided to make for myself. If you are happy being single and living your life, that is great and don't ever let anyone tell you that you need another person to be happy.
If I'm honest I'm not really comfortable calling myself 100% asexual. It's just the best description I can think of. I mean I am attracted to the female form, but don't feel like having sex or being in a relationship. I just don't get the appeal, but apparently I'm in the minority.
 

aba1

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IamLEAM1983 said:
The generalities are indeed pretty horrible, but once you leave the platitudes behind and get down to basics, there's at least one tidbit left to consider:

Treat the opposite gender as the human beings they are. Women aren't an omniscient collective, men aren't primates entirely beholden to their loins. We're imperfect, we're flawed, we're complex. We're never going to open up entirely on the first date - nobody does that. You have to date the whole of the other person - warts and all, and not what you'd expect to find in them after a few dates.

Oh, and also disregard the Men's Rights movement for the stupid bullcrap it is, sites like Return of Kings should just rename themselves to "The Mysoginistic and Hilariously Outdated Pig's Handbook to Eternal Celibacy".
Er.... whaaaa? Return of the kings isn't a MRA site :S. It is a pick up artist website which is completely different. It even says in their about section they hate MRA's and have written multiple articles to the same effect. If we really got into it it's debatable that the pick up artists are actually more closely related to feminists because at least they like feminists because they "encourage women to be sluts" not that I would say they are related to either really. Seriously man don't believe everything you read on those feminist sites half the time they just make shit up.
 

Danbo Jambo

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cdfgku said:
While this does depend on your age a bit, I'd say getting yourself out there is the main thing. When you are younger, whether in school/college/uni or starting out in your first couple of jobs you are meeting people all the time, so you have a good chance of meeting someone new that you like. When you get a bit older your life becomes a bit more stable where you can be in a job for over 5 years so you stop meeting anyone new.

I guess my advice would be that if you are struggling to meet people, get yourself on an internet dating site or try speed dating or something. It still has a bit of a stigma attached but this is quickly fading. I'd suggest don't sign up to something like Tinder unless you want something casual. If you are hoping for a long term relationship get yourself on a dating site with a paid membership as you know that people paying are serious about it.

As for the actual date, I personally can be a bit shy when meeting new people however a drink or two takes the edge off and makes me a bit more chatty, so I usually aim for a first date to be in a bar just talking. Sure it doesn't sound like the most exciting first date, but that entirely depends on how well the conversation goes and is a great way to get to know someone's personality.

Being yourself is a fairly vague comment, but you should aim to talk to your date as you would one of your friends, although obviously avoiding any inside jokes. As someone said previously you also may want to tone down certain elements for the first couple of dates. My sense of humour can get a bit weird so I avoid making any particularly dodgy jokes for the first couple of dates. That sense of humour is still part of me though, so I don't shut it out completely.

Anyway, as many people have already said, everyone is different. You will likely have quite a few dates with folks before you find someone that you like and that likes you back. That is completely normal. When you do find someone I would also suggest not waiting 3 days before messaging them. If you liked them send them a text within a couple of hours of the date saying you really enjoyed yourself and thank them for a good night out. It cuts out so much of the "did they like me?" drama you get and makes your interest clear to them. This is just a suggestion mind you, but I can say this has never scared anyone off when I have used it.

One last thing I'll say is dating gets easier the older you get. When you are in School or Uni there are all sorts of expectations of how a "proper" relationship should work or how your ideal partner will look or act. When you get to your mid-twenties and up, people generally have gotten all the crazy out of their system and have calmed. By that point people stop wanting the bad boys/girls and all the hassle that entails and instead want to try and have a long term relationship with someone their personality can connect with.

Hope this helps. Any questions let me know.
Some good advice there.

I think the OP's post contains some good advice too tbh.

It's all easier said than done, but if you just live a natural life to you things tend to fall into place anyway. Meeting people for example, if you enjoy martial arts - go to a martial arts class. Sooner or later you'll likely bump into someone there or at a competition etc. who you click with.
 

Nailzzz

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The worst dating advice I ever received was not to worry about the expiration date on the chloroform. That night was more trouble than it was worth.
 

Frokane

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Sep 28, 2011
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Nailzzz said:
The worst dating advice I ever received was not to worry about the expiration date on the chloroform. That night was more trouble than it was worth.
I lol'd
Heres one:

"my friend thought he'd get lucky by using Rehypnol on a date, it didnt work out, he was too dizzy and weak to even grab her wrist"
 
Jan 27, 2011
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Frokane said:
1.Communication is key
this is great but it contradicts with 'You shouldnt have to ask, you should just know' This is bad advice for men and women
'You shouldnt have to ask, you should just know', is ridiculous. Any woman going "I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TELL YOU, YOU SHOULD KNOW!!1" is insane. You can't read minds.

Hell, this is EXACTLY why my relationship broke down. If my ex had actually told me she was losing the romance, and not, you know, hid it for a year under flip flopping every month between "snuggles and hugs" and "seeming distant" and blaming it on school stress, then maybe we could have fixed the situation or at least had a cleaner breakup.

Communication IS key. Anyone who expects you to be a mind-reader is full of shit or stupid. Either way, probably not worth dating. Imagine the headaches if you'd end up married. x_x

2. Stop trying so hard to meet someone just relax and that person will come to you.

This doesn't apply to most men. Unless you are quite good looking (which not all of us are) its very unlikely a girl is ever going to go up to you, compliment you and ask for your number and propose a a date, this is just real life, we are making strides in gender roles but this one has a long way to go. If you tell an average Joe to not pursue dates or meeting people he wont meet anyone. People aren't searching for you to be their friend or their boyfriend you have to put yourself out there.
Whoa, you're taking number 2 too far, probably because it's misworded. It's supposed to be more like "Stop trying so hard to meet someone. Just relax and keep your eyes open, and someone will cross your path sooner or later".

It's not saying "don't ask people out" or "don't go out to meet people". It's basically saying "don't obsess over it".

If you go around asking out every girl you meet, and begin every conversation with a new female with the thought "MAYBE SHE'S THE ONE, MUST TREAT LIKE POTENTIAL GIRLFRIEND", you will come across as needlessly aggressive and/or desperate and clingy. Which girls will either find scary, creepy or kinda pathetic.

By all means you SHOULD put yourself out there! You won't meet anyone if you don't. Just don't lead with "I WANNA DATE/HAVE SEX" or loop around to it too fast. All that does is scare people away, and set you up for disappointment.

As a friend of mine put it "Most girls aren't looking for sex or boyfriends. They're looking for PEOPLE. Who they might want to hook up with at some point. They want to be treated as people, not 'girlfriends'".

3. Guys, just be 'confident' its attractive*****

this needs about a thousand more asterix's there are so many 'conditions' for confidence to be attractive its hilarious.

This whole "women are attracted to confidence" crap is getting old, very old. When women say they are attracted to confidence, do you know what they are really saying?
"We are attracted to good looking, tall men who have the confidence to approach us after we have given them the green light to do so". Telling an ugly guy to just be "confident" is like putting lipstick on a pig.
Actually, confidence has more to do with feeling comfortable in your own skin and projecting an aura that makes you seem strong and able to take care of yourself.

Like...Are you attracted to the shy girls that hide in the corner and never make eye contact and seem like they desperately need someone to live their lives for them because they feel incomplete? Maybe, but a lot of people don't. Most guys I know would prefer women who share some interests with them and can hold a conversation and who have a sense of self-worth that isn't dependent on whether or not they have a boyfriend.

This goes DOUBLE for guys, who also have the social stigma of "If you're not a badass, you're not a 'real man'" making things even harder. Anyway, Confidence makes you seem like you have things going on under the surface, and that you are capable of taking care of yourself and your future partners, which is usually attractive as it implies mystery and strength.

No one is saying there's a magic formula of do's and don'ts. But those 3 bits of advice are actually not that bad at all.

FYI, I might be single, but that's mostly because every girl I find even remotely interesting is either already taken, lesbian, in another country (or are in Quebec temporarily and plan to go home to Alberta or the US in a year or two and are thus not worth trying with IMO), or I know that they're trouble and not worth hooking up with, or even some mix of all the above. Several girls I've hung out with have expressed attraction to me already, only blocked by the abovementioned problems.