Spotting Red Flags On First Dates


Olivia Rodrigo says that she  finds out potential red flags in potential boyfriends  by asking a new date “a very oddly specific question that I ask guys on first dates,” she said. “I always ask them if they think that they would want to go to space. And if they say yes, I don’t date them. I just think if you wanna go to space, you’re a little too full of yourself. I think it’s just weird.”

What a time saver!  What would your “Red Flag” question be – here are some suggestions from Helen Coffey in this Wednesday’s Independent:

Do they own any cryptocurrency?

What’s the last book they read?

Which famous person would they like to go to the pub with?

Would they like to become prime minister?

How did they sleep last night?

When was the last time they cried?

Who’s their ‘craziest’ ex?

Helen Coffey also (very wisely adds this caveat around questions)  “But by far the best barometer isn’t the questions you ask your date, but the questions they ask you. Because the biggest dating red flag, in my book, is getting to the end of an evening and realising you’ve been forced to play interviewer all night because the person sitting opposite didn’t once express the slightest interest in you or your life”.

So next time you are on a date try and think to yourself – was this a shared space?