Will a quick date help you find love?

In 1998, a rabbi in Los Angeles came up with speed dating - dating especially for those who are too busy, but still want to meet their destiny. After the very first party in Beverly Hills, fast dating began to gain popularity literally all over the world. And even in Russia, both in large cities and in the outback.

How it works

There are many fast dating clubs, and the principle of their work is approximately the same: sign up for the appropriate age group, pay (on average, it costs 700–1,500 rubles), at the specified time come to a restaurant where quick dates take place. There you are greeted by a pleasant administrator who explains the rules of the game.

Most often, the young ladies sit at the tables, and every, for example, five minutes on the call, next men, moving in a circle, sit down with them. Thus, in an hour you have time to talk with 12 potential partners.

Sometimes the meeting format is 2 hours plus a break, sometimes the price includes a glass of wine, sometimes you sit too close to neighboring couples, sometimes the music in the restaurant is too loud. You can try to find out such moments in advance from the organizers or look for reviews about companies and meeting places (they are known in advance).

It annoyed me that I heard the conversation of a neighboring couple. The guy, who openly glued the previous young lady, then moved to me and sat through the words through his teeth, looking down. It was a shame.

Alina 26 years old

It also happens that companies offer atypical formats: play Mafia or try eyes dating: look a partner in the eyes for two minutes. By the way, not everyone can withstand it.

Fast dates: what to expect from them and is it worth going on

Who goes on quick dates

The same as you.:) Those interested, not afraid of experiments, looking for a couple. On the positive side, a married person is unlikely to come here looking for an affair or an adventure for one night. The vast majority of men and women come with serious intentions.

Negative point: mostly these are totally lonely people, those who cannot bring themselves to go out with a company to a bar or a concert where you can meet someone, or who spend all their time at work. There are those who come here just for fun.

How do you get feedback?

At the entrance, everyone is handed a kind of checklists, where participants put pros or cons to their counterparts and make small notes about each other. You will receive these notes about yourself in the mail on the same or the next day - it is terribly useful for those who want to find out what impression they make in the first moments of acquaintance.

Also in the letter there will be contacts of those with whom your plus signs coincided. Here you decide: wait for the first step from your "couple" or write (call) yourself.

What to do if the party gets bored

Many people say that such a volume of communication and new acquaintances is very tiring. In one evening, you need to impress 10–20 times, hear the same number of stories about yourself, maintain a conversation with strangers.

The saddest thing is when you realize in advance that the next person sitting down at your table is categorically “not yours”. And he understands the same. And you just sit there for five minutes and wait for the signal.

No, though. The saddest thing is when all the participants in fast dates are “not yours”.

During the evening I had 18 mini-dates, and this, frankly, is very difficult emotionally and physically: my mouth hurt so much talking and smiling. Therefore, a polite smile shriveled on the sixth or seventh guy and was further demonstrated on special occasions. In the end, I was completely exhausted.

Lena 32 years old

Of course, you can just get up and leave. And you can treat this as pumping communication skills. Let's not push it: here you can meet people on the same wavelength with you, and make new pleasant acquaintances, and continue communication immediately after the end of quick dates.

Before my eyes, a couple at the next table quickly found a common professional topic and agreed on the supply of some products. They definitely parted, very happy with the meeting and in the evening.

Anton 32 years old

Will they not laugh at me?

No. Nobody laughs at those who meet on the relevant sites or using mobile applications. The rhythm of life is such that we are forced either to look for a kindred spirit on the run on the Internet, or to allocate time for this, but with the guarantee that there will be people in front of you with a similar goal. Such a guarantee, in general, is what fast dates give.