When you're newly dating someone, you're most likely spending a good amount of your intellectual and emotional energy learning about them, establishing a relationship dynamic, and figuring out if the two of you could be a good match. While your heart might be all about how their cute smile gives you butterflies, your brain might be able to help keep your eyes on the prize. If you're looking for a relationship and you feel like pursuing one with this person, it's a good idea to stop and ask yourself is if he or she ready to commit to a relationship or not. Aside from outright asking the person you're dating if they want to do the whole exclusive thing with you, you might be able to tell from these five signs.
Relationships can take awhile to develop, and you might not instantly have perfect trust and clear communication with someone. So if you've been dating this person for a few weeks or months and aren't sure how they're feeling — that's totally fine. You might not know what you want from this relationship, either. If you're both having fun and getting to know each other, proceed! But if you're ready to DTR and not sure how your partner feels, these five behaviors could be a good indication that they're ready for a bigger commitment.
They Make Plans With You For the Future
While daydreaming about your future job, next apartment, and bucket list vacation ideas is super fun, sometimes seriously talking about the future can be scary. But if your partner talks about the future — next week, next month, or next year — and includes you in their vision, that's a great sign that they see you around for awhile.
James Preece, dating expert and consultant for ModelClub.com, believes if the person you're dating naturally talks about your future, it's a good sign they're committed. Preece told Elite Daily, "If he's serious about you, he won't be afraid to talk about where things might be headed."
They Introduce You To Their Friends
If I'm dating someone that I'm crazy about, one of the first things I want to do is to introduce them to my friends. Sharing is caring, and I want all my pals to get to experience this amazing person I found! On the flip side, if I'm dating someone and unsure how I feel about them, then they don't get invited out with us, over for dinner, or to join in game night. The same applies for how your person is treating you.
Mike Goldstein, founder of EZ Dating Coach, told Elite Daily, "If he doesn't want to meet your friends or family or vice versa, it is simply because he doesn't expect you to be around for long enough to warrant meeting them," Goldstein said. "If he truly wanted to get to know you, one of the best ways is through friends and family."
You Do Things Other Than Have Sex
In the early stages of dating, it's quite possible that you and your date have been riding happy waves of sexy chemicals, reveling in your newfound chemistry, and pretty much staying in bed together. But as you start spending more time together, you might find that a date night rolls around and you two have dinner, watch a movie, and then decide to just go to sleep. This is actually kind of a great sign for your relationship, because it means that your partner is into you for conversation, your personality, and your company — not just your sexy bod. While keeping your chemistry alive is something to be mindful of in a long-term relationship, if you spend time with this person doing more than just having sex, you might be headed that way!
They're Over Their Past Relationships
While part of getting to know someone is learning about their emotional history, it's important to be sure that the person you're dating is over their past relationships before you two can have a real shot. It's a sign of trust when your date wants to share with you about their ex, but, according to board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Susan Edelman, it’s important to pay attention to when these mentions occur.
“If your partner brings up their ex at inappropriate times, like when you are planning your future together, it’s likely a sign that there is a problem,” she told Elite Daily. And, sure, we all glance at our exes' social media from time to time, but if your date is consistently Insta-stalking their ex, if might mean they're still processing that relationship.
They Support And Celebrate You
Part of supporting and celebrating you is viewing you as a partner, respecting you, and communicating with you. If someone is interested in committing to serious relationship, they'll stay in touch with you throughout your day or week. They'll remember that you said you had a big test or a presentation at work, and will ask you how it went. They'll also not be threatened when you kill it and get a promotion, and will help you celebrate.
So, if your date is making plans with you for next month, inviting you to spend time with their friends, and staying in consistent touch with you, all signs indicate that they value your time, partnership, and want more. Of course, the easiest way to find out if your person really wants to commit to being "your person" is to ask them how they feel. Those kind of "what are we" chats can be a little nerve-wracking, but if they're doing any of the above things, you're probably both on the same page.
