decided that no matter how nice a time she had, she wouldn't go out with him again under any circumstances. Then something happened that made her change her mind. Her date's beeper went off and he had to rush to the hospital to take care of a friend's child. There was no time to drop her off so she came along. She saw how terrific he was with the patient and his family, and thought to herself — Am I crazy? He's exactly what I've been looking for.

A few minutes ago I mentioned a myth about physical attraction. There is no doubt that we need to be physically attracted to the person that we will marry. However, we don't always feel that physical attraction instantly. A number of people tell us that their partner's looks grew on them. This happened to a colleague of ours who told us that he had always preferred women who were tall, dark and exotic looking. The first time he met his wife, who is petite, blond and blue-eyed, he wasn't impressed with her looks. After all, she wasn't the physical type he preferred to go out with. Nevertheless, he had a good time on their first date and went out with her again. Sometime during that second date he realized that she really was beautiful. Other people have told us that their date didn't seem particularly attractive to them at first but within a few dates their looks had grown on them, and they actually found that they were physically attracted to them. So give yourself a few dates to see if your dating partner starts to look a little better to you.

Now that we've dispelled some classic myths, are there any other dos and don'ts you can offer to help us survive that first date?

Advice for the First Date…And Beyond

The first piece of advice can help you to communicate better and appeal to each other more. Don't spend more than three minutes talking about your job. Wouldn't you be turned off if your date spent 45 minutes describing the intricacies of his or her job, his or her latest accomplishments in the business world, and what an accomplished person he or she is? How many times have you put your date on the receiving end of a monologue about yourself? We lose sight of the fact that we're not at a job interview, and that we are not going to impress the other person by trying to show what a great professional, accomplished and successful catch we are. Remind yourself to display a little of the softer side of your personality. Your date wants to see the personal qualities they think are important in a future spouse. Try talking about your gourmet cooking hobby or the music you like to write. If you are impressed with the decor of the place you're at, say so. Don't forget that you also want to get to know the person you're with. Show a genuine interest in your date by picking up on a hobby, interest or project