Hinge Drops 6 Do's and Dont's of First Date Phone Etiquette
For the love of god, your phone is c-ckblocking you, again.
Dating app Hinge taps its in-house experts for the do’s and dont’s of phone etiquette while dating.
According to Hinge‘s latest survey, the most common cockblock is you — well, your relationship with your phone. In its survey, 78% of Hinge reported they assume “their date isn’t interested in them if they’re on their phone during a date. More specifically, more than 80% of Hinge users prefer a “phone away” approach on dates “as it leads to a better connection,” the exclusive press release revealed.
Hinge’s director of relationship science Logan Ury urges daters to break their toxic phone habits “You risk tanking the date if you’re on your phone instead of trying to connect. MIT professor Sherry Turkle found that when your phone is out, the quality of the conversations goes down. People naturally tend to discuss more shallow topics because there’s a fear that, at any moment, the phone will interrupt them.”
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On the flip side, if you’re on a date with someone who’s distracted by their phone, Ury recommends turning it into a fun game. ”If your date is constantly on their phone,” she says, “I recommend playfully calling out this behavior and inviting them to go distraction-free with you. For example: ‘I’ve been trying phone-free dates lately, and it’s actually been a nice break for my brain. Want to see how long we can go without checking ours? The first person to break buys the next round.’”
“When you put your phone away, it’s easier to focus on the other person and create those memorable first-date conversations that propel you into a relationship.
Keep scrolling for Hinge’s phone etiquette tips:
For more sex and dating advice, visit our advice column “Ask a (S)expert.”
1. “Put your phone on silent and keep it out of sight.”
2. “If you have to use your phone to look at a restaurant’s QR code menu or respond to an urgent message from your roommate, do it quickly and then put your phone away again.”
3. “If you have plans for after the date, make the arrangements in advance, including what time and where you’ll meet, so you’re not multitasking during the date.”
4. “Try not to get into any intense conversations or read work emails right before the date, since this can distract you and make you feel like you need to get back to someone.”
5. “Don’t pull your phone out during the date to show someone a meme. Instead, use this as a way to connect with them later.”
6. “Leave wearable tech, such as your Apple Watch, at home or turn off your notifications so you won’t be tempted to glance at it. That’s a screen too!”
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