{"id":13675,"date":"2016-11-01T01:00:02","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T08:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=13675"},"modified":"2023-08-29T09:26:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T16:26:13","slug":"dating-tips-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/","title":{"rendered":"The 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to dating tips for women, one size doesn\u2019t fit all. A young woman in her teens or 20s dates A LOT differently than a woman in her 30s and 40s. And while most woman generally want the same outcome, there are certain things women in their 30s and 40s know about dating that they disregarded or simply didn’t focus as much on in their younger years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s why we talked to some of today’s top dating experts to see what they saw as the most important advice women in their 30s and 40s dating today should think about. After going through what they had to say, we came up with these 15 top dating tips for women who are out of their 20s and ready for something more serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Know your non-negotiables<\/strong>.
\nThese would be those instant deal breakers of yours\u2014he\u2019s a smoker, a non-monogamist, a cat-lover, etc.\u2014that instantly tell you to move on so you\u2019re not wasting your time. \u201cWhat are those three things that are not negotiable when you’re looking for a relationship?\u201d asked relationship expert Dr. Melanie Mills<\/a>. \u201cTry not to include physical or financial attributes. Focus on character traits, personality type, and value systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Don\u2019t limit yourself<\/strong>.
\n\u201cIn your 20s you might have frowned when thinking about dating a guy with a child or one that had previously been married,\u201d says Mills. But the chances are, if a man is is his 40s, there’s a higher probability he’s been married or has kids.  \u201cStay open to men that have been divorced,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Don\u2019t lie. Don\u2019t even inflate the truth<\/strong>.
\nSure, you want to impress each other, but honesty from the start is a prerequisite to trust, says psychotherapist, Dr. Jennifer Freed<\/a>. \u201cIf the picture or description of your date was inaccurate then the rest of the relationship will be likely be filled with deceptions too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Forget about any texting and calling rules<\/strong>.
\nRules like ‘wait 3 days to call back’ no longer apply. \u201cIf you treat dating and love like a game, someone\u2014or both of you\u2014will end up the loser,” says host of, The Rendezvous with Simon and Kim on iHeart Radio<\/a>, Simon Marcel Badinter. \u201cIf you want to, call back in the next 24 hours. It has to be honest and spontaneous if you want to be respected and start a healthy relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Pay attention to the red flags<\/strong>.
\nYou know that feeling you get when you know something isn\u2019t quite right? If your date can\u2019t answer simple questions about where he works or acts super shady, chances are something weird is going on. \u201cListen to what your gut is telling you,” says Mills. And that goes for behaviors too. If he’s already getting on your nerves and it\u2019s only the first date that’s another indicator that you’re just not going to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Know who you are as a person<\/strong>.
\nThis is a complex one but necessary to surviving in a rapid dating world, says sex and relationship expert, Dr. Nikki Goldstein<\/a>. \u201cBuilding strength and self-confidence is key. The reality of it is, dating can be hard and feelings can be hurt. But if you know who you are and how you want to be treated then you won\u2019t allow someone (or the dating scene) to continually hurt or discourage you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Be emotionally available<\/strong>.
\nMaybe your past relationships haven\u2019t turned out like you wanted them to, or you feel like every date in the past month was a lemon. Well, get over it. \u201cIt\u2019s still up to you to open your heart\u2014and keep it open. This can be scary because you don\u2019t want to get hurt. However, in order to grow and connect, you must be available and vulnerable,\u201d says Mills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Watch the alcohol<\/strong>.
\nEspecially on date number one. Not only can getting drunk be risky and a turnoff, it also clouds your judgement. \u201cUsing substances like alcohol or drugs is not a good first date. It’s away to avoid a genuine connection,\u201d says Freed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Remember that dating is an exploration<\/strong>.
\nDating should be fun and nothing more than a way to meet and get to know another person, who may or may not be fit to share your life with you. \u201c[Dating] is not a commitment. There is no obligation involved with dating. No one owes anyone anything ever,\u201d says Freed. It’s easy to get excited about someone and start planning your future together, but remember that you’re both just figuring out if you even like each other first. Don’t put pressure on things by feeling like you owe each other something, you don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Know your sexual boundaries<\/strong>.
\n\u201cMany women can confuse sex and sexual desires with a guy’s interest in them. He wants sex, she also wants sex but thinks him wanting sex means there is something more,” says Goldstein. “Explore your sexual boundaries and know where they are and why they’re there.\u201d And, even more importantly, don\u2019t let yourself be pressured into doing anything you don\u2019t want to do just because you want to gain someone’s interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Don\u2019t hide your enthusiasm or interest<\/strong>.
\nOne of the dating tips for women we hear a lot is not to let a man know you like him, or to play hard to get. Well, that’s just wrong. Sure, a little mystery may be sexy in the beginning, but the game gets old fast. Even research shows that playing too much hard-to-get makes others like you less<\/a>. At a certain point, you just have to let the man know you’re interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Be the date that you want to have<\/strong>.
\nIt\u2019s not only your date\u2019s responsibility to make the date a success, it’s your responsibility too. \u201cEngage in dialogue. Put the cell phone away. Be attentive. Ask questions. Don’t bring up your ex. Take an interest in the details of his life by listening, paraphrasing, and engaging,\u201d says Mills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Ditch the dating wish list<\/strong>.
\nHave your non-negotiables and boundaries, but dating with a strict itemized wish list\u2014he must make this much, be this tall, drive this car, be this funny<\/em>\u2014will only hold you back from men who could be great for you in real life and limit you to men who only look good on paper, says Goldstein. \u201cIf you need a wish list it should be small and include feeling words instead of car makes and job titles,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. Have fun and release the pressure<\/strong>.
\nIt\u2019s normal to feel pressure as you watch your friends get married and have children, but remember that every person\u2019s path is different. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to settle down with a guy who’s not right for you. Therefore, release the pressure you place on yourself to lock down your next date as your future husband. Take each date one date at a time and have fun,\u201d says Mills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. Be your true self<\/strong>.
\nAny falseness or pretending will stop you from knowing that someone is into you. \u201cIf you’re real, you’ll get real results. Be brave, be true, and most of all, believe that someone will celebrate and desire you,\u201d says Freed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today’s top dating experts share the tips they think all women should know. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":13676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[886],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating-advice-women"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We talked to today's top dating and relationship experts to learn the 15 most important dating tips for women who are looking for a serious relationship.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We talked to today's top dating and relationship experts to learn the 15 most important dating tips for women who are looking for a serious relationship.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Date Mix\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-01T08:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-29T16:26:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/10\/31130100\/dating-tips-for-women.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ashley Papa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/AshleyMPapa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ashley Papa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women","description":"We talked to today's top dating and relationship experts to learn the 15 most important dating tips for women who are looking for a serious relationship.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women","og_description":"We talked to today's top dating and relationship experts to learn the 15 most important dating tips for women who are looking for a serious relationship.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/","og_site_name":"The Date Mix","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","article_published_time":"2016-11-01T08:00:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-29T16:26:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/10\/31130100\/dating-tips-for-women.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ashley Papa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/AshleyMPapa","twitter_site":"@Zoosk","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ashley Papa","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/"},"author":{"name":"Ashley Papa","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/d01fd7a2c0323f6db326ba54c2b49350"},"headline":"The 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women","datePublished":"2016-11-01T08:00:02+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-29T16:26:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/"},"wordCount":1225,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/10\/31130100\/dating-tips-for-women.jpg","articleSection":["Dating Advice For Women"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/","name":"The 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/10\/31130100\/dating-tips-for-women.jpg","datePublished":"2016-11-01T08:00:02+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-29T16:26:13+00:00","description":"We talked to today's top dating and relationship experts to learn the 15 most important dating tips for women who are looking for a serious relationship.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/10\/31130100\/dating-tips-for-women.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/10\/31130100\/dating-tips-for-women.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"This woman took our dating tips for women and found a great guy to kiss in the snow."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/dating-tips-for-women\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dating Tips","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Dating Tips for Women","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The 15 Most Important Dating Tips for Women"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","name":"The Date Mix","description":"Dating and Relationship Advice for Today's Daters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization","name":"The Date Mix","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"The Date Mix"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Zoosk"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/d01fd7a2c0323f6db326ba54c2b49350","name":"Ashley Papa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/avatar_user_74_1523036881-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/avatar_user_74_1523036881-96x96.jpg","caption":"Ashley Papa"},"description":"Ashley Papa is an experienced relationship writer. She is the author of the popular \"Vixen Investigations: The Mayoral Affairs\" and loves writing about it all: sex, love, dating, marriage, and \u201ccrimes of the heart\u201d. Ashley has been working with Zoosk to create engaging content around dating advice, relationship tips, and much more!","sameAs":["http:\/\/ashleypapa.com\/","https:\/\/x.com\/http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/AshleyMPapa"],"url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/author\/ashley-papa\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}