Dating- The Ancient Art

Dating is now an ancient art. Asking a member of the opposite gender out on a formal date is a millennial dilemma, as it is much easier to simply invite someone to hang out. Why is hanging out so much better then dating? Well, for one thing, it can be much less stressful. There are no pressures of commitments to dress or act a certain way, and the participators can leave at any time they please. It also might help you get to know your significant other on a different level then dating, as you see them in a more casual light, among their family and friends and doing ordinary tasks. But with all the benefits ‘hanging out’ provide, along with how easy it is to instigate, it can have some pretty serious effects on romantic relationships.
Let’s take the first aspect of hanging out- the casualness of both the invitation and the actual act itself. Asking someone to hangout is an extremely vague invitation, both in the relationship and the activity. Excessive amounts of hanging out, especially successively, can cause relationships to lose their formality. This creates an environment where couples aren’t thinking or talking together about making serious relationship choices, such as the decision to become exclusive or become engaged. Our society is now simply sliding into relationships instead of firmly deciding. This can lead to communication problems between couples, confusion, and misguided decisions. When compared to dating, where someone directly asks another, and the couple has a distinct plan on what activity will be taking place, the difference in communication skills is clear. A date is a planned activity completely focused on enjoying your partner and getting to know them better. Hanging out is a subjective interaction where both participants are merely trying to escape boredom. Which one seems to better prepare a couple for marriage? The answer is clear.
The unclear time limits on hanging out sessions can also have adverse effects on relationships. A casual hangout session can last much longer then a planned date, and couples that hangout tend to do so often, almost every day. Spending too much time around someone can cause a distinct illusion of familiarity, or in other words, it can cause a couple to think they know each other better than they actually might. A couple spending too much time together can have almost the same effects as couples that engage in too much physical touch. It impairs judgment, and the pseudo-familiarity can cause couples to trust each other much faster in a relationship, and at higher amounts. This can again lead to improper decisions about commitment and, when these fall through, trust issues.  
If most couples had their way, they would be around each other all the time. This makes sense, and it seems like it would assist in their marriage preparation, but, marriage requires both persons to create time to spend with the other, similar to a date. This is why good dating leads to good marriages, because both individuals develop a habit of making time for their significant other. Seeing each other less often can make dating that much more special and romantic. It is important for couples to be around each other with intention and purpose. Also, who says no to a fun date? It’s better then hanging out anyway.

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