Dawn Dating Is The Romance Strategy Made For Early Risers
Picture it: you're giddy from an incredible dinner date, calling your friends on the way home to tell them all about it, and going straight to bed to sleep off a night of cocktails and carbs. In the morning, that giddy feeling may be replaced by nausea, anxiety, and fatigue. You may question what you said and overanalyze how you behaved, all while checking your phone for a text from that certain someone. We get it — dating is hard.
Finding that perfect technique to master the art of dating is tough, whether you're a go-getter who's perfect for speed dating or spicing up date nights with alphabet dating. But what if you could find the perfect balance between date nights and an 8-hour sleep schedule? There's an answer for you: dawn dating. According to neuropsychologist Dr. Sanam Hafeez, many people secretly prefer early dates. "By the end of the day, fatigue or distractions from work, daily stressors, or other responsibilities may impact your energy levels and ability to engage in the date fully," she explained to PureWow.
"Engaging in a morning date allows you to have the rest of the day to yourself." More importantly, a positive first date can impact your mood without leaving you overanalyzing in the morning (the way a night out does). If you're an early riser who's been conditioned into evening dating, you're in for a treat.
How to engage in dawn dating
At first, it can be hard to reschedule your dates for an earlier time, but the result is well worth it. For example, emphasizing to each romantic prospect the value of dawn dating can help inform and excite them. As Dr. Hafeez emphasized, "Morning dates often carry fewer expectations than evening dates, traditionally associated with romance and intimacy," lowering levels of anxiety and stress that you typically experience before a nighttime date. Our brains are often in a different headspace in the morning, removing any pressure to drink or stay out too late. Dawn dating can also be great if you're trying to bring a mindful approach to your drinking habits.
In a world where online dating is the norm, encouraging dawn dating can bring back some normalcy in our dating lives. It can also help bring back those nostalgic feelings from the late '90s and early 2000s when dates weren't reserved for after the sun sets. Suggesting an early date — like grabbing coffee, going on a walk, or hanging in the park — can surprise your date while promoting better communication, honesty, and less fear of regret.
Ideas for dawn dating (and its benefits)
One of the most rewarding benefits of dawn dating is it likely forces you out of your comfort zone (which is, frankly, where life begins). It can also encourage you to assess your day-to-day routine, according to dating expert Amanda Bradford. "It's a useful way to assess if you'll align on similar routines and lifestyles," she explained to LifeHacker. "For example, if you like to start your days exercising, a morning walk is a great dawn date, and it helps you suss out if your date has similar lifestyle habits." While there's nothing wrong with preferring night over day, dawn dating can offer a new perspective. Per LifeHacker, some ideas for dawn dating include meeting for coffee, watching the sunrise, and going to the farmer's market.
Dawn dating can also be done much more casually than an evening date. You can grab breakfast before work, after your exercise class, etc. without spending too much time worried about what you're wearing, how you look, and how you'll be perceived. In fact, this low-stakes and laid-back style of dating is making its way to the forefront of single life — why not give it a try?