Five Ways to Test Your Compatibility on a Date

We don't advocate your trying these kinds of things on a first date. The first time, you'll be too nervous and awkward around each other to get much mileage out of these. What these are, are ideas for the third date and up - when you're through assessing whether they're someone you'd want to spend more time with and now it's just a question of seeing if you're right for each other.

#1. Go for a little trip together. This can be as simple as driving across the city, or perhaps taking a chartered boat across the harbor. Traveling, just the two of you, you get to see how your date handles functional activities instead of recreational ones. Driving, especially, is an easy one to read. If your date drives, do they impatiently race, or are they happy to go with the flow of traffic? When they park, do they pick the first open space or do they circle the lot three times looking for the closest possible space? If you drive, is your date comfortable with you in control? If it's a trip, is your date anxious and fidgety, not knowing what to do with themselves?

#2. Take a walk in the park. This is kind of a way to get the two of you away from distractions. Without food, drinks, music, or activities, you'll have nothing to do but just chat with each other. If you both feel awkward, this might be a sign that you're not cut out for each other. If you settle down beneath a tree and spend hours just enjoying each other's company, that's an excellent sign!

#3. Run some errands with your date. The third date or so is probably the time you can be excused to have a few events in everyday life intrude on your leisure life, anyway. So before you get the date-proper underway, just explain that you have to do one quick thing forst and offer to take them along. Nothing complicated! Pick up the dry cleaning, grab a couple of things at the market, or maybe you promised to feed the neighbor's pet while they're out... don't make it something that takes longer than 20 minutes. Is your date sporting enough that they'll want to come along? Do they act put off that they aren't the priority for even this minute? Do they 'team up' and help you?

#4. Play a game. Any social sport will do - a billiards round, a game of darts, miniature golf, ping pong, skee-ball, bocce, or bowling. You can even offer to compete for a round on your Wii! The point of this is to see how your date performs under competitive circumstances. Are they so driven that they must win at all costs? Are they sore losers? Insufferable winners? Remember that the way they play a competitive game is the exact same way they'll act in an argument. If your date is rooting for you to win and offers pointers on how to improve the game, even if you beat them, that's a great sign!

#5. Spend a full day together. This is a much more involving version of the two-hour date. Perhaps you can go to a resort, spend a day at the beach, or even go shopping together. Anything that will involve at least two meals during the length of time. This shows how your date hangs in there for the long haul. Watch for how they interact with other people: are they polite and courteous with waitresses and sales clerks? Do they get cranky if they get hungry? Do they get tired easily? Do you work well together as a team?

Jodie BrittainPosted byJodie BrittainatWednesday, December 10, 2008