18 Things Men Should Never Do On The First Date

1. ”Where do you want to go?” “What time?” “Um, you decide. Whatever works for you, works for me.” Decide on the place and time yourself and just tell her about the plans. She’ll appreciate you for your decisiveness. If she’s not comfortable about them, she’ll let you know.

2. Lounge around at home all day in front of your laptop and then go to meet her without having done any talking beforehand. On your way to the first date, call up a couple friends and talk with them for a while. Since first dates are mostly a talking affair, you want that part of your brain to be ready.

3. Being late by more than 15 minutes. If you really want to piss her off, try being late by more than 30. She’ll probably walk away.

4. When you finally meet her for the first time and find out that she’s taller than you, saying ANYTHING about your height. Don’t make a self-deprecating comment about it. At the same time, don’t puff your chest out or stand on the higher step to appear tall. If she ever falls in love with you, it will be for your personality, for who you are, not for your height.

5. SHAKING HANDS WITH HER! It’s not a business meeting, dammit.

6. Ogling at the beautiful girl that just went by. So why didn’t you go out with that girl instead?

7. Smell bad. Both body and mouth odors are big turnoffs. Get a mouth freshener if you must. Wear a cologne you like. It makes a HELL of a statement. And it’ll be the only wingman you’ll ever need.

8. A man who can’t be bothered to care about his appearance: God save men with uncut nails, torn or faded jeans, and wearing flip flops to first dates. Women pay attention to these things to know how well you take care of yourself. If you can’t take care of yourself, why should she believe that you will be able to take care of her?

9. Complain. Why you hate your friends. Why your country is going to the dogs. Why does it have to rain on the night you both met. Why your job sucks. Why you have no time for yourself.

10. Be a jerk. Why you hate her friends. Why the place she is from is horrible. Why she had to meet you on this rainy night. Why her job sucks. Why she has no time for herself.

11. Be boastful. How you have friends everywhere, in the best bars, clubs, and companies. How you bought a new place that has a private pool and Jacuzzi. How you gifted yourself a Bugatti. How you have the best job in town. How you are the best person she would ever have the chance to date. Really, if you’re that amazing, she can see it for herself, rather than you telling her about it.

12. Lose your temper easily. Swear. It may be that you got a really bad waiter. Or maybe she was late for the date. Whatever, it’s still a definite turnoff for women.

13. The kind of chivalry that isn’t. Don’t be too eager to open that door. (Read: running to reach it before her and pompously saying ‘Allow me.’) Don’t yank her hand off the handle if she’s already opening it.

14. Trying to guess her every move. While at a restaurant, if she’s already reading the menu, don’t point at everything and start ‘Do you want this? Or this? This? This?’ It irritates women no end.

15. Asking too many questions. A date is not an interview. Switch to making statements instead. Statements reveal bits of your personality and allow you to flirt rather than just exchange useless information.

16. Making statements does not mean talking about you, you, and you. It tells her you are full of yourself. Listen to what she has got to say, too. A good rule of thumb is to listen as much as you talk, if not more. Be genuinely interested.

17. Using a mock or condescending tone to explain something if you discover that she’s not as knowledgeable about something as you are. Use a tone that says “it’s cool; here, let me show you how it’s done.” It may be as simple as showing her how to eat with chopsticks, or how to move her feet while dancing, or telling her meanings of different arrangements of knives and forks to signal the waiter.

18. Projecting yourself as someone you’re not. Unless you are an accomplished pick-up artist, women can spot fake confidence and mannerisms in a second. Why not try being yourself and see if she likes you that way? Who knows, maybe she’ll like you better just as you are.