Top Ten Bad Date Behaviors

We’ve talked a lot on The Frisky about first dates and what not to do on them, but apparently not everyone is taking our advice. A recent article in the Daily Mail claims that first date behavior has gotten so bad that at least a third of all 18 million first dates in the U.K. end in “disaster.” The writer never explains what qualifies a date as a disaster, but in my experience, hoping for a sudden natural disaster to relieve you of his company is a pretty good indicator it sucks. To find out what’s going on to make all these first dates so terrible, an online dating firm called parship.co.uk polled 1,300 singles about their behavior. After the jump, the top ten bad dating behaviors they discovered.

1. Entrances & Exits

“On average, 30 per cent of men and 48 per cent of women admitted to turning up late for a first date, with one in ten women keeping the man waiting for 30 minutes or more. However, 12 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men admitted to taking advantage of their date’s absence at the bar or in the loo, and leaving without saying goodbye. Some dates never even got that far - a total of 5 per cent of those polled said they had turned up to a date, not liked what they saw and then made a speedy exit.”

2. The Ex

“Most people know they shouldn’t talk about their ex on a first date, but for one in five men and women the urge has proved too great. In a similar vein, 12 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women admitted to talking about previous sexual experiences.”

3. Drinking

“Eleven per cent of men and 14 per cent of women say they’ve drunk so much alcohol on a first date that they’ve felt they weren’t fully in control of themselves.”

4. Yours or mine?

“30 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women admitted to going home with their date, with one in four men and one in five women claiming it led to sex.”

5. The Bill

“Credit-crunched Brits are now more likely to keep their hands firmly in their pockets, particularly if the date isn’t going well. One in four women say they’ve purposely not offered to contribute financially towards the evening, leaving it to their date to pick up the bill.”

6. Lies and more lies

“Eight per cent of singletons say they’ve lied about their age on a first date; six per cent pretend that they’re not dating other people, four per cent lie about their job and salary, three per cent that they still live with their parents - and 2 per cent have conveniently forgotten that they’re not in fact single.”

7. What’s in a name?

“Ten per cent of men and three per cent of women say they’ve even forgotten their date’s name.”

8. Three’s company

“Five per cent of women and three per cent of men say they’ve been chaperoned by a friend or even their mother - on a first date.”

9. Arguments

“With all these bad manners going on, maybe it’s surprising that just 3 per cent of singles say they’ve spoiled the evening by arguing.”

10. Text, please!

“Four per cent of women and two per cent of men say they’ve called or texted another potential date in the course of a first date.”

Personally, I’m not convinced these are all indicators of “bad behavior.” Take number four, for example. If you’ve really hit it off with your date, what’s so bad about inviting him back to your place for a nightcap? Even if you do do the nasty, it doesn’t necessarily spell disaster. In fact, it could be the beginning of something beautiful. And frankly, I’m surprised it’s only a quarter of the women who aren’t offering to contribute financially to the date. As we’ve discussed ad nauseum here, there’s a general understanding that the first date is on the guy. And the lying? Well, if anyone’s asking about someone’s salary on a first date (or even a tenth date!), he or she deserves to be lied to. Inviting your mom to chaperone a date is pretty inexcusable, though. [via Daily Mail]