Don't try to 'figure out' your first date

Researchers at McGill University (Lauren Human and colleagues) ran speed-dating sessions with 569 single people, each having between 4 and 18 three-minute dates. Afterwards they rated interest, attractiveness and personality. The work appeared in Psychological Science.

When people were asked to judge their date's personality as accurately as possible, romantic interest dropped. A warm overall impression predicted attraction better than an 'accurate' personality read. Extroverts barely suffered from the scrutiny, while introverts — harder to read — were rated lower.

What it means for you: a first date is not an exam or a job interview. Let yourself enjoy the conversation and save the personality verdicts for later, especially if your date is reserved and opens up slowly.