Pardon me while I drop something painfully obvious on you:
Dating is complicated.
Now, before you roll your eyes at me and reach for the “back” button on your browser, let me explain where I’m going with this.
The components of dating – where to meet people, how to get to know them off a cold or warm approach the different aspects of attraction, even how to act on dates can seem pants-shittingly intimidating. After all, when you’re socially inexperienced, how are you supposed to keep all of this in mind and talk to your date and still have a good time and secure that next date and and…
It’s the human equivalent of telling an AI “this statement is false”.
Now I understand that trying to absorb and apply all of that information can seem overwhelming and conflicting. In fact, the point Anatomy Lesson and Nerd Role Model articles is to show how everything ties together by providing concrete examples.
Even so, it’s entirely possible to psych yourself out and convince yourself that it’s all too complicated and difficult to keep in mind. So let’s dial things back a little.
One of the best ways to pick up a new skill is to, simply, break it down. Strip out the extraneous parts and just focus on the core. You can work outwards from there as you become more at ease.
So let’s simplify dating a little, shall we?
