How to get a date

Though it’s nerve-wracking, taking the plunge and asking someone out on a date is a process that everyone has to go through. Whether the outcome is positive or not largely depends on the asker properly preparing the way. While random dating requests are likely to end in refusals, those who have built up a relationship beforehand can be more hopeful. Here are some of the best places to find a prospective date.

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Work
Although fewer couples meet at work than they used to, it’s still one of the most common ways for people to get together. After-work drinks or job-related events provide a good opportunity to get to know someone and arrange a date.
Sex therapist and counsellor, Julia Cole, says that the ‘main advantage of meeting people at work is that they are more likely to have similar attitudes’ – particularly if the job is a vocational one. However, it’s important not to make the mistake of confusing a shared job with compatibility.

Friends
Meeting a prospective partner through friends is a classic introductory method. Indeed, researchers from Stanford University and the City College of New York report that most Americans meet their partners through friends – and have done since the early 1940s.
The great thing about meeting people through friends (and friends of friends) is that there’s no pressure. Relationships can develop naturally, as people slowly get to know the other person. Situations can also be manufactured by those eager to match-make.

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Online dating
Nowadays, online dating is firmly in the mainstream, with more than six million Brits happy to pay to use the services of internet-based dating agencies. Understandably, the numbers joining free sites such as jazzedfreedating.co.uk are even higher. This rise is partly due to the ever-increasing ease with which people can access a ready-made pool of singletons. Joining a site and creating a profile takes a matter of minutes – take a tour to see.
A study reported in Psych Central points out that contrary to what many people think, people who are more ‘sociable are more likely to use Internet dating services than are those who are less sociable’. It also found that those who have high self-esteem and consider romantic relationships an important component of a happy life are also more likely to use online dating sites.

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For maximum effect, singletons should try the sites when the temperatures outside are at their lowest. According to the BBC, online dating agencies are their busiest during the winter months and at times when the weather is particularly dire.

Resource box
Daily Mail
Revealing the five secrets of compatible couples
Telegraph
London's top ten dates
Glamour
Dating tips from Wimbledon WAG Kim Sears