Some people look back fondly on dating, generations ago, with romantic ideas of greater morality and better values. Others think that with all of the online apps and matchmaking websites we have today, it's never been easier to play the field. But each era of dating in the past century was not without its pros, its cons, and its own set of unspoken rules. From the turn of the 20th century, to the present day, romantic relationships have been an evolving part of culture, just like everything else. The concept of dating really began at the turn of the 20th century. Prior to the late early s, courtship was a much more private, unemotional affair.
In the early part of the 20th Century, when a boy was interested in a young lady, he would approach her parents and ask for their blessing. Calling on a girl meant that the boy would go to her home and visit with her there. Their visits were chaperoned by the parents and they were not to be left alone. After all, we all know what those boys had on their minds. There was to be no physical contact between the two. The purpose of boys calling on girls was to determine if the two were compatible and wanted to continue with the courtship.
Latest Issue. Past Issues. When Tinder became available to all smartphone users in , it ushered in a new era in the history of romance. It aimed to give readers the backstory on marrying couples and, in the meantime, to explore how romance was changing with the times. But in , seven of the 53 couples profiled in the Vows column met on dating apps.
Sharing personal information brings people closer together. Verified by Psychology Today. Fighting Fear. The social rules for dating change from one generation to the next. There was a time when a proper young man and woman could not speak to each other unless they had been formally introduced.