There are a lot of terms that people have trouble wrapping their head around. One of them is “casual dating.” What is casual dating? How do you know that it’s what’s right for you at the time? How do you know when it’s time to make things a little less casual? The Art of Charm is here to answer your questions about the topic of casual dating.
Table of contents
Defining Casual Dating
We’re going to call casual dating any kind of dating where there is no exclusivity, implied or otherwise. If you’re casually dating the two of you don’t even default to a Friday or Saturday night. You have to go ahead and actually make a date every time that you make one. In addition, you, her or both might be dating other people at the same time. Either way, there’s no real commitment in place — this is the simple response to “what is casual dating?”
Is Casual Dating Right For You?
Casual dating is right for different people at different points in their lives. For example, if you’re very busy with work or other commitments, casual dating can be a great way to date without making things too serious. Casual dating can also be great for the man who is just out of a relationship and doesn’t want to get too invested. Finally, casual dating might be right for you if you’re just OK with not being committed: You don’t need a reason to keep things casual. It might just be more your speed than a full-on relationship.
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Become Less Casual?
A lot of guys ask us when it’s time to take their relationship to the next level. There are a lot of ways that you know, some of which might apply to you and some of which might not. At the end of the day, you need to evaluate all of these factors and make the decision that works best for you. Some factors to consider include:
- Do you want to be exclusive? It sounds simple, but this is the most important question to ask yourself: Is this what you want?
- Are you dating other people? If you’re not dating other people, that might be your answer; Maybe she’s already the one that you’re looking for.
- Do you see her as a long-term partner? Can you envision a future with her? We don’t mean, “do you think about what your kids look like?” Just, do you see yourself with her in a year?
- Have you gone through things together? Adversity can form a bond. If the two of you have gone through a struggle together and come out stronger, that might be a sign that she’s the right one for you in at least the medium term.
- Has she sort of moved in? Call it the “George Costanza” test: Does she have a bunch of her stuff in your place? Are you OK with it? That’s a sign that you’re probably already moving into a relationship.
- Is she your favorite person to spend time with? When it comes to divvying up your free time does she get most or all of it? That’s a big sign that it’s time to take things to the next level.
All of this should provide you with a comprehensive answer to “what is casual dating” and elp you figure out if it is your type of thing.
