Times have changed, as well as the way in which people meet, relate and fall in love. The clear example of this is neither more nor less than the rise of the web and applications for dating. People who do not leave a closed social circle, the difficulty of reconciling social life with work, the lack of time or patience that seem to soften with the help of a filter. The reasons are diverse, but the result is that the world of courtship and dating has become a subject of study. This is the case of an investigation that aims to find out which are the traits that are most valued during the first dates.

Researchers Jessica K. De La Mare and Anthony J. Lee, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, have the answer. To find it, they analyzed a sample of volunteers, made up of 205 women and 178 men. Each of them had a profile that showed various information about the participants, including a description about their personality. The volunteers were asked which people they would prefer to pair up with. The result made it clear which are the most valued qualities.

The study’s findings showed that personality characteristics such as agreeableness, openness, and extroversion represent the traits most desired by people looking for dates. In contrast, awareness and emotional stability were not assessed.

Outgoing people often possess other qualities such as optimism, likeability, and a passionate outlook on life. Reasons why they are usually attractive to other people. Regarding kindness, a study carried out in 2014 by Huazhong University, in China, already stated that kind people were more attractive than the rest. As for frankness, this has to do with developing a bond of trust.

When it comes to meeting a person and starting with a first date, the most important thing is to reflect and analyze yourself beforehand. That is, get to know each other to know what exactly is being looked for and what. This is the best way to discern whether or not the person you are meeting aligns with the positive standards you have set. So it will be a fundamental scale to avoid feeling confused and not waste time. Nor make the other person lose it. And this includes, as you can imagine, being clear about the non-negotiable traits that that potential partner must meet, such as the aforementioned openness, kindness and extroversion.