Ah, don’t you just love the first few months of dating? You’re getting to know one another, learning each other’s intricacies and, of course, saying “What do you MEAN you haven’t seen The Shawshank Redemption?!”, or some variation of a favourite classic.
However, according to one dating expert, as carefree as these days are, there is one thing we should consciously be doing to help us figure out if this person is the one, or just a bit of fun.
So, what do we do? Do we quiz them on all of their current and future intentions? Do we check our horoscopes to see if they align with us in the stars?
Not quite.
So, in those first few puppy-eyed, lovestruck months, what you should do is actually, uh, date other people too.
Relationship and dating expert Sami Wunder believes that people should date more than one person at a time or, at least, wait three months before becoming exclusive with somebody.
Now, while this may seem possible, she has one extra caveat: don’t sleep with somebody until you’re exclusive. Wunder said: “Take at least three months to vet people but don’t sleep with them in this timeline.
“When you have sex, your body produces oxytocin, which is a powerful hormone, and can make it harder for you to spot red flags and see that your values don’t align.”
Relationship expert Dr Krishna Athal agrees, writing in the Times of India: ”[Dating multiple people] allows you to explore your options and get to know different people with different interests and personalities. This can be a great way to learn more about yourself and what you want in a partner.”
This isn’t too distant from how many of us date now. According to data from YouGov, around a fifth of singles in the UK believe that people should wait for a month before sleeping with somebody new and three months before telling somebody that they love them.
