1. Date someone you live with. Roommates, housemates, dorm mates, hostel mates - it doesn’t matter exactly what the living arrangements are, if you eat, sleep and watch TV in the same household, then dating is probably a bad idea. You wouldn’t move in with someone after the first date, right? In effect, that’s what you’re doing if you date a roommate.

2. Become intimate quickly. This doesn’t just mean sex, although statistics have shown that having sex too soon can jeopardize a relationship. Intimacy can also involve domesticity such as hanging out watching TV in your pajamas, or emotional intertwining such as going to the other person with your problems. Maintaining your independence in the early stages and treating dates as special occasions will help to keep you alluring.

3. Have expectations for the other person’s behavior. In the early days, you should focus on getting to know who your partner already is, rather than expecting him or her to be what you want. Later on, holding expectations based on past behavior is reasonable but expecting him or her to cater to every whim is not.

4. Take your partner for granted. Always keep in mind that the relationship exists by mutual choice. Assuming that he or she will always be around, or worse, assuming that he or she exists for your pleasure, is a one-way ticket to splitsville. This does not mean that you should live in fear of being abandoned, but you should remember to treat your partner with kindness and mutual respect.

5. Spend all of your time together. Both you and your partner had full, separate, independent lives when you met. It is natural to want to spend time with a new partner, but letting go of your life and focusing only on each other will inevitably lead to disillusionment.

Posted by Lisa.