Dating Red Flags - How to Know a Guy Isn't So Great

We all put on our best faces for the first few dates, and sometimes it's hard to get a feel for who a person really is until after you've spent a good amount of time with them. A guy may seem like the most brilliant and charming person in the world when you first meet him, but this could all just be a show to impress you. The real question is, can he keep it up? Will he be able to maintain that perfect exterior beyond the first few dates? If he can, consider yourself lucky, but keep an eye out for cracks in his armor. If any of these dating red flags come up, you might want to reevaluate how much you really like him.

He asks too much of you: As soon as a guy starts expecting things of you, you know you're starting to get in deep. But if after just a couple of dates he's already expecting you to call him every day, to keep him posted on your activities, or not to look at other guys, then this is a sign that he's a little too possessive and might become jealous or overly demanding later on.

He tries to rush you: If a guy tries to get you to move to a relationship stage that you're just not ready for, this is a bad sign. Whether he wants you to get more physical than you're ready to be or simply wants you to be too serious too early on, these behaviors show that he's impatient and doesn't respect your feelings quite enough.

You're running out of things to talk about: Every couple has times when they have simply exhausted all the possible topics of conversation, but when it becomes an ordinary feature of your time together, then you just might not be compatible. Couples that are a good fit sometimes run into conversation droughts, but the droughts should only be temporary.

He's rude to others: Most guys will go to great pains to put on the best face possible during a date. But even while he's sweet to you, you can tell a lot by observing how he treats others. For example, if he's nice to wait staff and leaves good tips, then he's probably a nice person in general. On the other hand, if he's rude and stingy, then you might want to watch closely for other signs of meanness.

He drinks too much: Alcoholism is a serious problem, and while an excessive love of drinking doesn't necessarily make a guy a bad person, it does tend to come with other serious problems. Men who drink too much are often reckless in other areas of life, and they tend to be quite unreliable. It's not a good idea to get into a relationship with someone who is not in control of himself. A little drinking is fine for responsible grownups, but make sure he knows when to stop.