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All of this pressure to drink to feel more relaxed on date isn’t that necessary.

The study found that almost a third of non-drinkers find it more difficult to date when they didn’t drink, but it’s not all doom-and-gloom.

A majority of drinking singles (86%) say they’d date a non-drinker, and non-drinkers (81%) are open to dating those who drink alcohol.

RELATED: Summer Dating Profile Tips You Can Make Instantly

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These days, on Facebook, even a political cartoon can result in a visceral reaction from your friends.

When I posted the meme of Bob and Sally on Facebook, I was trying to get a temperature reading from my friends. The meme went viral, and the comments poured in, with the majority saying “No, we can’t be friends with a Trump supporter.” Many took it a step further and said, “We can’t even be friends with someone who is friends with a Trump supporter.”

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If Politics is Important to You, Wear it Proudly

Yes, Donald Trump has polarized our country, our families, and our friends. Wearing a political baseball cap including “#NOTMYPRESIDENT” or on the opposite side, a “MAGA” hat,are now both front and center on dating profiles.

OkCupid profiles are proudly filled with the #RighttoLove badge, and singles now instruct potential partners to “swipe left if you voted right.”

This presidency has brought the conversation about values and attitudes to the table, and I believe that’s a good thing. Finding someone like-minded about the issues that are the most important to you will help you find a partner to join you on this turbulent journey in Trump’s America.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and is the CEO of Cyber-Dating Expert. She’s the author of the upcoming book,Love in the Age of Trump: How Politics is Polarizing Relationshipsand has been coaching singles for almost 25 years on finding love online.

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Summer Love – The Benefits of Dating While on Vacation

f your date card is empty, try casting a wider net and schedule some summertime dates, out-of-town.

The summer heat is rolling, school’s out, the airports are crowded, and it’s time to start thinking about summer love and your very own fireworks display.

The Fourth of July holiday is around the corner, National Kissing Day, just two days later on July 6th, and Match predicts the busiest day for dating this summer will be on Saturday, July 8th.

With that in mind, it’s also a busy time for online dating, with new singles joining dating sites to find a summer romance, or maybe even more.

As a dating coach, I always recommend that singles expand their search by changing their zip codes. If you knew the person of your dreams was in another city, would you be willing to hop on a plane to meet him or her?

RELATED: Pucker Up. It’s National Kissing Day

To make it easier to date while in vacation mode, I have two approaches that work well.

1. Act like your in vacation mode.

Have you ever noticed how friendly people are while they’re on vacation? They let their guards down and don’t size each other up based on their resumes and work history like they do at home. As a result, it’s easier to strike up a conversation with someone who’s sitting next to you on a plane, or poolside as you sip on a frozen libation. If your summer doesn’t include a fantastic trip to the Greek Islands, why not act as if you’re there? Try smiling more often, engaging with someone who’s not your usual type, and even the playing field while leaving work behind.

2. Go on a Date-Cation.

This means getting prepared in advance, by joining or being very active on an online dating site before you leave, using mobile dating apps when you’re there, changing your profiles to indicate that you’ll be on vacation and listing the city, and going on dates every day while you’re gone.

While the thought of becoming a serial dater while on vacation might not sound appealing, it’s effective, and you’ll have an opportunity to be the out-of-town girl or guy everyone wants to meet.

While I recommend going into the vacation zone for singles, whether they’re home or venturing out to another city, don’t just take my word for it.

RELATED: Summer Dating Profile Tips You Can Make Instantly

Online dating site Plenty of Fish polled over 1500 singles in the U.S. aged 18-60 to find out how they felt about dating while on vacation. It turns out the majority (over 70 percent) were open to the opportunity to go on a date while out of town.

While I’m not an advocate of the ‘Mile High Club,” 52 percent of singles in the POF survey had experienced having a great conversation with someone on the plane, and 20% actually hooked up on a plane or a train.

If you find yourself seated next to someone attractive and exciting, be bold and take it a step further.

Ask the person who you shared your life story with at 15,000 miles in the sky if they’d like to meet for a drink or go to a museum while you’re in town.

Some other fun facts from the survey include:

49 percent of singles had gone on a date while on vacation.

40 percent of singles had a vacation fling.

22 percent of singles fell in love while on vacation.

46 percent used a dating app to scope out singles in another city before traveling there.

16 percent of singles ended up in a long-term relationship with someone they met while on vacation.

All of these possibilities are just a click, swipe, or smile away.

Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam.

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International Kissing Day – Are You Ready for that First Kiss?

You don’t need to be watching a romantic-comedy to know that a first kiss can be the beginning of a beautiful romance, or not.

On Friday, July 6th, it will be International Kissing Day, so if you didn’t kiss that hottie during the fireworks display on Fourth of July, here are some tips from our friends at Coffee Meets Bagel to get it right.

This week will be one of the busiest times of the summer, with Coffee Meets Bagel telling me they saw a 33% jump in sign-ups on July 3rd and 21% on July 4th last year.

Match has declared Sunday, July 8th as the busiest day of the summer for activity on their online dating site.

RELATED: Summer Profile Dating Tips You Can Make Instantly

From French kissing, to how many dates should you go on before that first passionate kiss, here are some kissing turn-ons and turn-offs.

42% of women and 40% of men say the best time to lean in for the kiss is near the end of the date.

49% of women want the kiss to be light and gentle with lips closed, followed closely with 47% pf want a deep kiss with no tongue.

47% of men find bad breath a turn-off and 31% of women gave a thumbs down to too much tongue or saliva

64% of women and 58% of men agreed that the magic length of the first kiss should be 2-5 seconds. Anything longer would be a turn-off and anything shorter doesn’t measure up.

RELATED: The Benefits of Dating While on Vacation

If you’re nervous about leaning in for the first kiss, don’t be. TheCoffee Meets Bagel survey found that only 2% of both men and women found just a peck with lips barely touching a turn-on.

One tip that I always recommend at the end of a date, is to ask the person permission for a kiss. Just simply saying, “May I kiss you goodnight?” will show you respect your date and you’ll get the cue if it’s safe to lean in for that smooch.

So grab your lip gloss, bring some breath mints, and get ready for a week of kissing.

Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may kiss, swipe, or roam. xo

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5 Fun Facts About World Chocolate Day and Love

I have to confess. I embrace a healthy diet, eat a banana every morning for the potassium, an avocado a day for the good fat, eat wild salmon for the omega fats, and nibble on raw almonds as a snack.

I haven’t eaten red meat in decades, but when it comes to chocolate, all bets are off.

I try to justify my desire for chocolate by eating only dark chocolate, and chocolate covered pomegranates, thinking it’s healthier. In reality, they’re filled with sugar and caffeine, and I’ve always wondered, is chocolate truly an aphrodisiac, or is it a myth?

In honor of World Chocolate Day, held annually on July 5th, Elite Singles came up with some fun facts about this sugar-filled day, as it relates to romance, which might surprise you.

Fun Fact 1. The scent of chocolate can make you more likely to buy a romance novel

Since many of you have bookshelves filled with romance novels or self-help relationship books, it’s not a random decision that bookstores with cafes have chocolate strategically placed near the romance sections.

According to Elite Singles,

“In 2013, Belgian researchers conducted an experiment where they pumped chocolate smells around a local bookstore and then analyzed shopper’s behavior. When the store smelled of chocolate, sales of romance novels and cookbooks rose 40% higher than when the store didn’t have the scent.”

Fun Fact 2. Chocolate can get you more worked up than passionate kissing

In 2007, researchers found that eating chocolate makes your heart beat faster than the already fast heartbeat you experience while kissing. The research took it further and found if you let the chocolate melt in their mouth, it’s more of an intense and longer lasting feeling than just when kissing.

No wonder, ordering a flour-less chocolate cake or a chocolate-covered strawberry seems romantic at the end of a date.

via GIPHY

Fun Fact 3. You won’t feel the aphrodisiac effects unless you eat 25lbs of chocolate at once

Famous philanderer Giacomo Casanova, the kind of guy you don’t want to date, loved sipping hot chocolate, even more than champagne. Could a chocolate martini be a better drink to order than a glass of prosecco?

Casanova called chocolate the “elixir of love” and used it to woo women. But the reality is, you’d have to eat an enormous amount of sugar-filled chocolate for it to be noticeable, and we know that’s not healthy.

Fun Fact 4. Chocolate can make singles fantasize about love

A study in 2014 on the effects of snack foods and romantic thoughts of singles found that those who eat Oreos were more likely to think about a dreamy potential romantic scenario, as compared to those who ate salty chips.

Fun Fact 5. Chocolate and water taste better when you’re falling in love

According to Elite Singles,

“A set of 2013 studies compared the tastes of a neutral group with groups of participants induced to feel love, jealousy, and happiness. Each group was asked to rank the sweetness of certain foods, like chocolate and even water. The neutral, jealous, and happy groups ranked the foods similarly – but the love group’s rankings were consistently higher on the sweet scale.“

So if you’re wondering if chocolate is an aphrodisiac and will help your dating or love life, my best advice is to nibble it in moderation and take steps to manifest the perfect relationship for you.

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Can Trump and Non-Trump Supporters Still be Friends?

A new politics study from Pew Research Center confirms the pain that many of you have been feeling both online and offline; friendships and romance are feeling stressed when the subject of Donald Trump comes up, and inevitably it will.

The Pew poll of over 2,500 adults conducted from June 27 – July 9, 2017, and released on July 20, 2018, shows that a majority (52%) of American’s are paying attention to politics since Donald Trump was elected president, with almost 60% of women driving the political conversations.

Almost half of the Democrats in the study admit that supporting Donald Trump is putting a strain on relationships, and members of both parties believe that someone supporting the other party didn’t share the same values and goals as they did. Most of us know someone who has lost a friend or romantic partner due to differing politics, right?

I believe this strong divisiveness is a reality that isn’t going to go away soon.

While researching my upcoming book, Love in the Age of Trump: How Politics is Polarizing Relationships, I have seen similar findings, with women being less willing to date across party lines than men. I’ve also witnessed the testing of friendships, and people who quickly unfriended and blocked people they used to be close with on social media.

As someone who’s in the business of forging love relationships, I believe in taking an inclusive approach, and for people to be open-minded about listening to another point of view, but I’m even more aware that the struggle is real, and the stress that Pew has confirmed is as intense as the reality show that our country is living in.

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RELATED: Summer Dating Profile Tips You Can Make Instantly

What’s the solution?If you feel the pressure to order a beverage, and you’re not interested in getting a buzz, try ordering kombucha, ginger ale, tonic and water, cranberry and soda, iced-tea, or an espresso.Or, in the alternative, suggest a fun outing or daytime date that doesn’t include alcohol.We’ve got plenty to choose from here.Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam.Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She’s the CEO of Cyber-Dating Expert, and has been coaching singles on finding love online for over two decades with her Irresistible Profiles programs.FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.SIGN UP for the FREE Weekly Flirt newsletter for dating advice delivered to your inbox.

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RELATED: 10 Fun Summer 1st-Date Ideas That Are More Fun Than Just Grabbing a Drink

How do singles really feel about drinking on a date?

A majority of singles (92%) order their first drink before their date arrives.

A majority of singles (73%) believe meeting for drinks makes a good first date.

Over half of singles (55%) think two (2) drinks should be the maximum on a date.

Mentioning “sparkling wine” in your online dating profile or message increases  your response rate by 29%.

All of this pressure to drink to feel more relaxed on date isn’t that necessary.

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SURVEY: Online Daters Are OK Dating Non-Drinkers; Most Prefer Drinking on a 1st Date JUL 25TH

Do you have to drink while on a date?

While singles aspire to have a unique and memorable first date (after all, he or she could be ‘the one’), more often than not, someone you will meet on an online dating site or mobile dating app will ask you to get together for the default date of “drinks” or “coffee.”

While meeting someone at a happy hour, could advance to dinner, what do you do if you don’t drink alcohol? Should you fake it, or order a “mocktail?”

In polling over 8,000 online daters and analyzing over 100,000 messages, dating app Zoosk asked these questions and more for this Drinking Study.