What exactly is dating?
Since the human race began, human beings have been trying to find partners for a number of reasons. On the most basic biological level, people have been looking to find someone with whom they can procreate and continue the species or the family line. However, this reason for choosing a mate has in time been overtaken by a more romantic notion – the matter of love. As human beings, almost all of us without being prompted experience feelings of deep attraction, both physical and emotional, for other humans. Spending time in another person’s company, sharing innermost thoughts and feelings, is something which we are just programmed to do.
In the more recent past, this pursuit has changed bit by bit with the passing years. The concept of “dating” is a relatively new one, at least in terms of giving it a name and a set of largely unwritten rules. Although we may pride ourselves on being more refined and civilised than early humans, these “rules” and even the entire concept of dating has tended to give us a lot of reasons for confusion and frustration, and where there are confused and frustrated humans there will be an industry devoted to “helping” them and making money as a result.
As time goes on, the definition of what exactly constitutes “dating” changes, but for now, as good a definition as any would be “a process of continued one-on-one social occasions with an end goal of an interpersonal romantic relationship”. That doesn’t sound romantic, of course, which is why they had to come up with a word for it.