Was Your First Date A Success Or Disaster? Here’s How To Know

So, your first date is over. You’ve parted ways and made it home with a minimal hangover, and now it’s time to reflect on how well it went. You should have a gut feeling about whether or not your date went well, but in case you’re struggling to decide.

Here are nine signs that, one way or another, your first date was a success:

1. It Ended With A Kiss

If your date ended with a voluntary, well-executed kiss, that’s the most classic metric that your date went well. A first-date kiss indicates not only that your date found your company enjoyable, but that they found you physically attractive, too. This one’s a no-brainer, and you shouldn’t have any cause for concern if you locked lips on your first date.

2. It Ended With A Plan To Meet Again

Even if you didn’t seal your first date with a kiss, if you agreed to meet again and your date seemed enthusiastic about the idea of a follow-up date, that definitely still counts as a success. Some serious relationships are born of first dates that didn’t end with any physical contact, so if you didn’t quite nail a kiss this time, don’t despair. If you got along with each other and your date genuinely wants to see you again, you can chalk that up as a success, too.

3. It Ended With A Hookup

There are lots of old-fashioned rules which dictate that you should never sleep together on the first date, but if you’re really feeling each other and you end up in bed together, so what? It’s not fatal to a longer-term relationship: Plenty of casual hookups turn into relationships that last longer than one night, and even if nothing more comes of it, if you both had fun and came away satisfied, there’s no harm done. Success again!

So those are the classics. But what are some signs that things well even if you don’t have as concrete an indication?

4. You Made Your Date Laugh (And Vice Versa)

If you managed anything from a few chuckles to a full-on belly laugh on your first date, you’ve done very well indeed. Bonding with another person over a shared sense of humor is one of life’s purest joys, so even if this is the only thing you came away with from your date, that counts as a win. If this sounds like an unrealistically optimistic attitude, it shouldn’t: Realistically, not every date will end with sparks and fireworks, so if you had a fun, funny time, you should absolutely chalk that up as a plus.

5. You Couldn’t Stop Talking To Each Other

Whether or not you had any physical connection on your first date, if you got on like a house on fire and couldn’t stop chatting, that’s just as good — fin fact, it’s better. Good conversation is the lynch pin of all successful relationships, so you can definitely assume your first date went well if you talked easily and naturally for hours.

6. You Kept The Convo Going Afterward

One of the best signs your first date went well is if there’s some follow-up to the conversations you had. For example, if your date told you about a must-see YouTube video and then texted you the link a day or two later, that’s a great sign: It shows that your date was thinking about you, and wanted to re-spark your connection.

OK, so maybe the date didn’t even have any of those signs. Was it still a complete washout? Maybe not, if you at least managed some of these:

7. You Had A Good Time

Whether or not the date ended with a kiss, hook up or plan to meet again, if you saw a great film, enjoyed a spirited debate or made a positive connection with another person, then it was a net positive. It’s that simple.

8. You Learned Something New

Let’s say the worst came to the worst and the date was a complete dud. Non-stop fumbles from start to finish: You spilled a drink on your date, accidentally insulted their family and rendered them bored and vaguely annoyed for most of the time. Well, now you’ve learned a valuable lesson in what not to do next time, and because there’s an endless number of singles you can potentially date, you don’t need to worry about screwing it up with any one in particular.

9. You Tried Something New

First dates are excellent excuses to check out new, trendy restaurants in your area or to do something light and childlike like playing mini golf or checking out an amusement park. Make sure that, however well the date itself goes, you are at least getting a great meal and a bit of fun out of it, too.

Of course, the date might have gone badly not because of you, but because your date was awful: rude, entitled and sharing nothing at all in common with you. That means you’ve gained a clearer understanding of what you don’t want, so — you guessed it! — your date was actually a success.

Plenty of first dates won’t end up being ”successful” according to the more traditional metrics like getting a kiss, hook up or second date, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile. Eating a good meal, having a laugh or learning something new about yourself counts as a win, too. There’s so much to discover and experience even on dates that don’t blossom into romantic relationships, so look for the silver lining even if your date doesn’t end like the ones in the movies.