Dating and Relationships
/What is dating?
The definition of dating shows us that there’s a difference between dating someone and just dating. “Dating” means you’re going on dates. You are actively getting out there and meeting people and spending time with them. “Dating someone” means you’re seeing somebody specific, with purpose and on a regular basis.
With the understanding that the personal definition varies for everyone, here are some universal parameters. If you can check these off your list, you are, in fact, dating someone:
1. You like someone and you’re trying to get to know them better.
2. You’re spending time with a person (or persons) in hopes of finding a committed relationship.
3. You can see yourself settling down (or at least entertain the idea) with the person or persons you see regularly.
Here are some examples of situations in which you are NOT dating someone:
1. You don’t want a relationship at all, and you’ve been clear about that to everyone you get to know/hook up with.
2. The person you’re getting to know/hooking up with has been clear that they don’t want a relationship at all.
3. You don’t usually see the same person more than once or twice before you move on.
The difference between “dating” and “hooking up” or “having fun” or “hanging out” is intention. If you want to find someone to have a relationship with, you’re dating. It’s not to say that something not-so-serious cannot turn into dating, but you most definitely can’t assume it will. You also can’t assume that dating will turn into an exclusive and committed relationship. If you’re foggy about what you’re doing with someone, it’s always best to have a terribly awkward chat with them. Just like most issues in the world of relationships, communication is almost always guaranteed to clear up any confusion.
Dating vs. Relationships
The main difference between dating and being in a relationship is that people in a relationship are connected by a mutual commitment to each other. You and the person you’re with have agreed, either officially or unofficially, that you’re seeing each other exclusively and are in a partnership together.
Types of Dating
To recap, Dating is the process people go through when they want to meet and/or get involved with potential romantic and/or sexual partners. Dating is how people get to know each other and determine if someone is a suitable partner for them. There are many different types and styles of dating. Not every form of dating will be done by every individual or culture of people.
Online Dating:
Online dating is where people meet and get to know each other over the Internet instead of in person. People often chat, email and exchange photos online. Once a connection is made, people will often arrange an in-person meeting. Online dating is convenient for a lot of people, especially those who are constantly on the go.
Speed Dating:
Speed dating is generally set up by an organization or dating service. People arrive at a designated location and quickly spend one-on-one time with other dating candidates. Time spent with each dating candidate varies from 5 to 10 minutes. Speed dating allows people to meet a lot of dating candidates in one setting to see if one or more of them are suitable matches.
Blind Dating:
Blind dating is where two people who do not know each other are set up by someone else to go on a date. Blind dates are usually set up by friends, family or co-workers. You can ask your friend to set you up on a blind date, or it could come as a surprise. Don't hesitate to let others know what you're looking for. That way, your blind date isn't so blind.
Double Dating:
Double dating involves couples going out together. Double dating is popular among teenagers, adult couples who have similar interests and for people on blind dates. Double dates give you the chance to see how your date interacts with other people.
Casual Dating:
Casual dating is when a person dates many people. Casual dating is done by people who are not interested in settling down with one person, by people who are searching for the right partner to settle down with and by people who are just looking for sexual relationships.
Serious Dating:
Serious dating is when two people date only each other, and they consider themselves a couple. Serious dating involves a commitment and monogamy. This type of dating often leads to becoming engaged and getting married.
Types of Relationships
Love isn't one-size-fits-all. It not only means something different to everyone, but it also looks and feels different to everyone. That's why there are so many different types of relationships — so each person can find the best fit for their individual lifestyle, personality, and concept of love. Just like you need to date different people to learn what you want in a potential partner, you may want to try out different types of relationships to figure out what you want out of your romantic life. Ultimately, you hope to find someone — or someones — whose preferred relationship type is similar to yours. But first, it helps to know there are all different ways to be in a relationship.
These are the seven most common relationship types you'll want to know as you navigate the dating world:
1. Monogamous Relationships:
Monogamous relationships tend to be the first one people learn about as they are the most traditional, and usually the easiest for children to understand, who often see it exhibited by their parents. Those in monogamous relationships only have one sexual/romantic partner at a time. Most people who enter into "traditional" relationships and marriages do so because they want to be monogamous, though they don't always stay that way.
2. Polyamorous Relationships:
When someone is polyamorous, that means they have more than one romantic relationship at a time. Often, polyamorous couples have a primary partner, a secondary partner, etc. with the understanding that these "rankings" can change as their individual needs do. Others treat every simultaneous relationship they are engaging in as perfectly equal. The key to any successful relationship, but especially polyamorous ones, is honest and effective communication between all parties involved.
3. Open Relationships:
In a way, open relationships are a hybrid of monogamous and polyamorous relationships. While an open relationship allows both partners to share physical intimacy with anyone they want, they reserve their emotional intimacy for each other. So each person can have as many sexual partners as they want, but only one romantic partner.
4. Long-Distance Relationships:
A long-distance relationship is pretty self-explanatory, as they only occur when partners have a long amount of distance separating them. Due to the lack of physical intimacy caused by the couple's physical separation, some choose to open their relationship while they live far apart. While the "long-distance" part of this relationship type is often temporary, some couples choose to live happily ever apart indefinitely.
5. Casual Sex Relationships:
In a casual sex relationship, both partners agree to have sex with each other on a regular basis — and that's it. Those in casual sex relationships can be physically and/or emotionally intimate with others as well, so long as both people are OK with it. Casual sex relationships can also be "exclusive" — meaning neither person sleeps with anyone else — which is similar to monogamous relationships, without the emotional connection.
6. 'Friends With Benefits' Relationships:
A "friends with benefits" relationship is similar to a casual sex relationship, but with one important difference — an established, platonic friendship. Often, "friends with benefits" relationships begins when two friends agree to act on a mutual sexual attraction. Outside of the sexual relationship, the partners behave purely platonically. Usually, a 'friends with benefits' relationship ends when one or both partners start to date someone else.
7. Asexual Relationships:
Some people are asexual, meaning they don't experience sexual desire or attraction to others, but they still want to participate in a romantic relationship. While asexual people often choose to date each other to create a purely asexual relationship, this is not always the case. When an asexual person and a sexual person enter into a relationship, it can take a few different forms, according to the Asexuality Visibility & Education Network. The couple can choose to be completely sexless, or the asexual partner can "compromise" by engaging in sex occasionally under certain circumstances, or partners can experiment with "pseudosexual behavior," such as cuddling, to find an arrangement that works for both.