Date is one of the forms of social interaction.

Event - one of the forms of social interaction, part of the institute of courtship, with a view to assessing each other for suitability as a partner for intimate relationships or marriage union [1]. Although the term has several meanings, it usually refers to the act of meeting and participation by mutual consent in some social activity publicly, together as a couple.

The accepted practices and customs of dating, as well as the terms used to describe it, vary considerably from country to country. In the most general sense, this is a meeting between two people who are building relationships and studying whether they are compatible for spending time together publicly as a couple. They may or may not yet have sexual relations with each other. This period of courtship is sometimes regarded as the forerunner of engagement or marriage.

In history

From the point of view of the history of man in civilization, dating as an institution is a relatively new phenomenon, which mainly appeared in the last few centuries. From the point of view of anthropology and sociology, the meeting is connected with other institutions, such as marriage and family, which also rapidly changed and were influenced, including advances in technology and medicine. As humans evolved from hunter-gatherers to a civilized society and, more recently, to modern society, there have been significant changes in the relationship between men and women, perhaps with the only biological constant that adult women and men should enter into relations for the production of offspring (although this changes with the advent of "test tube babies", in vitro fertilization, and the like).

F. B. Dixie . "Romeo and Juliet". 1884.

Couple on a date in a cafe (left). S. Solomko "Date" (right).

With the development of modern society in many Western countries, dating has increasingly become a self-organized activity of two young people meeting as a couple in public.

Dating may vary significantly depending on nationality, customs, religious education, technology, and social class. There are also important exceptions regarding personal freedoms that remain in many countries still practicing contractual marriages, the requirement of dowry and prohibiting same-sex couples. Even today, in some parts of the world, such as South Asia and many regions of the Middle East, being in public with another person as a couple is not only unwelcome, but can even lead to social ostracism against both.

In the 20th century, dating was sometimes viewed as a precursor of marriage, but it could also be an end in itself, that is, informal social activities similar to friendship. Generally, a person was engaged in this only in a certain part of life in the premarital age, [2] but, since marriage became less permanent with the appearance of divorce, a date can also occur in other ages during the life of people.

On practice

Social rules regarding dating vary considerably depending on variables such as country, social class, religion, age, sexual orientation and gender. Patterns of behavior are usually unwritten and are constantly changing. There are significant differences between social and personal values. In each culture there are special norms that determine the choice: where people could meet, whether a man asks a woman for permission to leave, whether it is acceptable to kiss on the first date, the content of the conversation, who should pay for food or entertainment [3] [4] is acceptable whether to share the costs. Since dating can be a stressful situation, it is possible to reduce tension with humor.