Around 40% of modern relationships start online, which makes it natural to wonder how long should you talk to someone before dating? The ‘talking stage’ is a touchy topic, as there is no agreement on how long to talk before dating to ensure a successful relationship.
Read on and learn everything about how long should you wait before taking your relationship to the next level.
Calling out of blue was a socially acceptable thing 10-20 years ago, when calls were the dominant way of communication. But the current statistic shows that 88% of people choose texting over phone conversations.
So how long is it okay to text? There is no universal time frame that will work for all couples. Some prefer starting early, within1-3 days, while others build up interest and switch to calls after 1-2 weeks.
The benefits of starting early:
But there are also some drawbacks, as calling out of blue might seem pushy if you and your potential partner are not on the same page.
Also, some people just don’t like to waste time talking over the phone, especially if they are actually busy workers or big city residents who cannot answer a call anytime.
If you wait you might get such benefits:
But there are some drawbacks, as if you text for way too long, moving to phone calls might feel uncomfortable: you’ve already developed a habit, and getting rid of it might be challenging. Additionally, the initial dynamic you set defines how quickly your relationship will develop.
The rough rule here is to find a sweet spot between 1-7 days, if you are up to a committed relationship and want to move on to actual dates.
But still, there is no right or wrong decision, so you should act in accordance with your own feelings and rationality.
People easily fall into that gray area between chatting on dating apps and going on an actual first date IRL. Online communication on a dating site might be very fun, but the longer you put off real dates, the more you worry about face-to-face meetings.
So to make the online site work to your advantage keep in mind:
So, to avoid the drawbacks of putting off meeting in person, set a date in a public place, when you have trust and both of you feel comfortable. If a person you are talking to tries to avoid meeting in real life, the chances are high, that they are chatting with several other people or are not ready to be a part of your life in a romantic way.
Before you go on an actual date, here are some ideas to talk about:
Talking about these essential things will help you know if a person you are considering seeing IRL meets your standards and relationship goals.
Generally, no. If we are talking about traditional couples, healthy relationships start after a so-called IRL ‘relationship talk’. It’s easy to get invested in a new romance, as it seems so fun and exciting.
But you should get rid of rose-tinted spectacles and develop an objective perspective. If you didn’t discuss your relationship in any way, romantic or rational, you are not a couple.
Even going on IRL dates doesn’t exactly mean that you are in a relationship with a particular person. The hard truth is that if you didn’t have a relationship exclusivity talk and didn’t make things official, it DOESN’T count as dating. Many singles fall into the trap of texting or casually meeting, which can last months and don’t turn into something meaningful.
‘Talking‘ means that you are in the ‘talking stage‘ on social media platforms or other sites, you are just getting to know each other but haven’t gone on an actual date yet. And ‘dating‘ means that you have been going out but are not official yet.
Most couples can notice those stages during the development of their relationship, but sometimes it can develop very rapidly, and you don’t even catch yourself waiting for a phase to shift.
It can be 1 or 10 date, everything depends on a particular couple. Most traditional couples decide whether they want to make the relationship official during the first 3 dates. If it takes longer, you should probably have a conversation about exclusivity.
Most relationship experts will tell that if a couple doesn’t discuss future plans in each stage of the relationship, it’s a red flag. There is nothing bad if a person is just not ready yet for an exclusive relationship, but you both need to understand and be okay with the reasoning behind it.
If you are going out with somebody as hot as Jessica Blake and feel like you need more time with this person in your life, it’s already a good sign that you are ready for something serious.
But if you cannot make the final decision or don’t know if your emotions are not triggered by simple passion, here is some self-evaluation advice from our team to help you get the answer if you are ready:
And your body language can also show that you want to be with this person only earlier than you think. If you feel protective, miss your partner, and genuinely wait for every date, you are ready to take a few steps further. But don’t worry if you are not ready yet, the most important factor for a healthy couple dynamic is being comfortable with the tempo, regardless if it takes a week or two months.
So, how long should you talk before dating? Whatever feels comfortable to you! There are no default settings and you are perfectly entitled to take time. Picking the right frame of time that works for both of you is important; otherwise, the other person might worry that you are not interested in becoming their lover or are not interested in.
