First Impressions

You say: I'm laid-back/easygoing/down-to-earth.

He hears: I don't have strong opinions about anything or I spend a lot of time on the couch in my sweats watching movies.

The problem with these adjectives is that they can evoke a whole host of images, not all of them good. "Is she so laid-back she's never going to care where we go or what we do?" worries Eli.

"I picture her on the couch in sweatpants with a box of tissues watching Lifetime movies,”"says Christopher, a 37-year-old former online dater from Milwaukee, WI.

"Let me determine if you're laid-back," says David Wygant, a dating coach and author of Always Talk to Strangers: 3 Simple Steps to Finding the Love of Your Life. Give examples of how you spend your time, he adds. Davis agrees. "The buzz words themselves aren't telling; the activities you enjoy are. That's what will resonate with someone."

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