67 Painful But Hilarious Date Fails

What you (think you) know about dating, successful relationships, and ‘perfect’ partners might just be wrong.

Based on the findings of a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, your own judgment of your relationship reveals more about its quality and success than your or your significant other’s personality.

In a nutshell, how appreciative you are of your partner, and how satisfied you feel your partner is with you, are more important than who you both are as individuals.

The vital things are the effort you both put in, your commitment, appreciation, satisfaction with your intimate life, perceived satisfaction, and how you handle conflict.

So, instead of obsessing over whether your significant other checks all or most of your boxes, you should focus on engaging with them.

“When it comes to a satisfying relationship, the partnership you build is more important than the partner you pick,” the study’s lead author and an assistant professor at Western University in London, Ontario, Samantha Joel, told CNN.

“It seems to me that the relationship is more than the sum of its parts. It’s that relationship dynamic itself, rather than the individuals who make up the relationship, that seems to be most important for relationship quality.”

Many people try to come across as better than they really are on first dates. It’s natural. Most of us want to leave a positive first impression on the strangers we meet.

And yet, this means that you might not get to grips with someone’s real character, quirks, and flaws until much later into dating them, because they’re actively trying to hide them.

Luckily, some people are so awful at leaving good first impressions that you can instantly recognize their red flags and problematic behavior patterns.

Though this leads to awkward and embarrassing encounters, this is actually a good thing. Why? Because you instantly realize these individuals are worth avoiding. And so, you won’t waste any more of your precious time dating them.

The Guardian notes that some of the worst things people can do to leave a bad impression on a first date include things like arriving late, canceling the date on short notice, or even not bothering to turn up with no warning.

Other things that might push your potential partner away are things like looking wildly different from your dating profile photo, complaining a lot, and whining about being exhausted.

Other alarm-worthy first-date behaviors are things like criticizing your food, insisting on ordering for your date, constantly talking about yourself, whining about your ex-partners, and being overly sarcastic.

You also won’t leave a good impression on your date if you are too self-deprecating, boast about not being like other people, are not curious about them at all, or agree with absolutely everything they say.

Some relationship red flags indicate that your date might be a truly toxic individual. WebMD warns that some of these toxic personality traits include controlling behavior, causing drama, behaving inconsistently, craving attention, and not being able to be happy for you.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid people who confuse you with their behavior, make you feel uncomfortable, and who you feel are manipulating you.

Which of these posts about dating fails made you wince and cringe the most? What is absolutely the worst date that you’ve ever been on? Have you ever embarrassed yourself on a first date? What are your top relationship red flags?

On the flip side, what’s the best date you’ve ever had? If you’d like to share some of your experiences, we’ll be waiting to read them in the comments at the bottom of this list.