For other uses, see. Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in humans whereby two people meet socially with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as a prospective partner in an or. It is a form of , consisting of done by the couple, either alone or with others. The protocols and practices of dating, and the terms used to describe it, vary considerably from country to country and over time. While the term has several meanings, the most frequent usage refers to two people exploring whether they are romantically or sexually compatible by participating in dates with the other. With the use of modern technology, people can date via telephone or computer or meet in person. Dating may also involve two or more people who have already decided that they share romantic or sexual feelings toward each other. These people will have dates on a regular basis, and they may or may not be having. This period of courtship is sometimes seen as a precursor to. Some cultures require people to wait until a certain age to begin dating, which has been a source of controversy. From the standpoint of and , dating is linked with other institutions such as marriage and the which have also been changing rapidly and which have been subject to many forces, including advances in technology and medicine. As humans societies have evolved from into , there have been substantial changes in relations between people, with perhaps one of a few remaining constants being that both adult and must have for human procreation to happen. Humans have been compared to other species in terms of sexual behavior. According to Sapolsky, humans are somewhat in the middle of this spectrum, in the sense that humans form pair bonds, but there is the possibility of cheating or changing partners. These species-particular behavior patterns provide a context for aspects of , including dating. However, one particularity of the human species is that pair bonds are often formed without necessarily having the intention of reproduction. In modern times, emphasis on the institution of marriage, generally described as a male-female bond, has obscured pair bonds formed by same-sex and transsexual couples, and that many heterosexual couples also bond for life without offspring, or that often pairs that do have offspring separate. Thus, the concept of marriage is changing widely in many countries. Accordingly, there was little need for a temporary trial period such as dating before a permanent community-recognized union was formed between a man and a woman. While pair-bonds of varying forms were recognized by most societies as acceptable social arrangements, marriage was reserved for heterosexual pairings and had a transactional nature, where wives were in many cases a form of property being exchanged between father and husband, and who would have to serve the function of reproduction. The clandestine meeting between Romeo and Juliet in. Painting by , 1884 Generally, during much of recorded history of humans in civilization, and into the in , weddings were seen as arrangements between families, while romance was something that happened outside of marriage discreetly, such as covert meetings. Men and women became more equal politically, financially, and socially in many nations. Women eventually won the right to vote in many countries and own property and receive , and these changes had profound impacts on the relationships between men and women. In many societies, individuals could decide—on their own—whether they should marry, whom they should marry, and when they should marry. Still, dating varies considerably by nation, custom, religious upbringing, technology, and social class, and important exceptions with regards to individual freedoms remain as many countries today still practice arranged marriages, request dowries, and forbid same-sex pairings. Although in many countries, movies, meals, and meeting in coffeehouses and other places is now popular, as are advice books suggesting various strategies for men and women, in other parts of the world, such as in South Asia and many parts of the Middle East, being alone in public as a couple with another person is not only frowned upon but can even lead to either person being socially ostracized. In the twentieth century, dating was sometimes seen as a precursor to marriage but it could also be considered as an end-in-itself, that is, an informal social activity akin to. It generally happened in that portion of a person's life before the age of marriage, but as marriage became less permanent with the advent of , dating could happen at other times in peoples lives as well. People became more mobile. Rapidly developing played a huge role: new such as the , and enabled dates to be arranged without face-to-face contact. In the mid-twentieth century, the advent of as well as safer procedures for changed the equation considerably, and there was less pressure to marry as a means for satisfying sexual urges. New types of relationships formed; it was possible for people to live together without marrying and without. Information about grew, and with it an acceptance of all types of sexual orientations is becoming more common. Today, the institution of dating continues to evolve at a rapid rate with new possibilities and choices opening up particularly through. Behavior patterns are generally unwritten and constantly changing. There are considerable differences between social and personal. Each culture has particular
