Even in the age of modern dating that we live in, it can be hard to find your person. Platforms such as Tinder and Bumble, while allowing us to narrow the search criteria for potential love interests, tend to be more of an anthropological experiment for most, rather than a pursuit of true love. And there are just so many ways in which it can go disastrously wrong. I mean, what if they're more of a Breaking Bad fan, while you're all about Game of Thrones?! Seriously though, the majority of such things are immaterial, but others are not. Namely, these five habits that consistently stop people from making true, lasting connections. Take a gander below...

1. You can't stop talking about yourself

Now, this may be rather self-explanatory but hear me out: there's no better way to show that you're interested in someone than asking them all about themselves. While you may want to "sell" yourself on a first date, you should be wary of seeming too self-involved.

2. You talk about your ex, in any capacity 

While you may feel compelled to tell your dinner date about your dating history in all of its sordid detail, please refrain. Even if you're speaking completely negatively or positively about your ex, it will still seem as if you have unresolved feelings. Wait until the third date, at least.

3. You criticise their interests 

Sure, you may hate their taste in music, and think their favourite film is farcical, but hold back on knocking the things they love. Who knows, you may grow to like them too in the future, but right now all it's going to do is alienate and make them feel uncomfortable. Additionally, it's not nice to criticise near strangers, you know?

4. You tell them all about your problems 

While it's important to practice vulnerability, especially in relationships, you want to avoid divulging too much about how terrible your dad is, and all the horrible things that happened in your childhood. It could prematurely scare your love interest away. A good practice is to wait for them to reveal something personal, and then go from there.

5. You're boastful

It may seem easier to win someone over by flashing your cash or bragging about your recent promotion, but no one likes someone who thinks too much of themselves. However, if you're interested in someone who only wants to be with you for your money and status, this is the right way to go about it - just know that you're unlikely to form a sincere, loving bond.

Well, are you making any of these disastrous faux pas? If you are, it's time to sit down and analyse your behaviour, as doing any of these five things is a surefire way to miss out on a real catch. In other relationship-related news, these are 8 small signs that he is always thinking about you, too.

I'm off the opinion that people should be taught dating etiquette in school, because frankly there are a hell of a lot of people out there who just don't seem to get it. They don't have a clue about how to behave, and exhibit the kind of behaviour that would be spoilt and obnoxious even in a four-year-old-child, let alone a fully grown adult.

Something about dating just seems to bring out the worst in people, and I'm sure we can all remember a date that we went on with good intentions that turned out to be a total car crash. But if you want an example of some serious entitlement, then look no further.

Recently, a young woman named Amanda Burnett, a nurse who hails from Chicago, Illinois, took to Twitter to share her story of a cringeworthy encounter with a guy who was either very offended or else, just super-stingy. Amanda had been on a dinner date with this dude a few days previously, but unfortunately for her, the sparks just weren't flying.

However, rather than reject him straight away, Amanda elected to simply ghost him instead. She stopped answering his calls, and hoped that he would take a hint and cease with the unwarranted advances. Big mistake.

On April 3. Amanda received an invoice (that's right, an invoice: you read that correctly) from the dude in the mail, which charged her in full for her portion of the meal. As you can see from the image above, which she posted to Twitter, the letter did indeed look very official, and all told, he believed that Amanda owed him around $40.

Yup, I think this guy thinks he's entitled to sex, and that now he's missing out on it he wants his money back. Sorry man; I'm afraid it doesn't work that way.

In her initial tweet, Amanda stated: "I’m posting this on Twitter bc it can prob go viral honestly. Got this in the mail from a guy I went on a date with a few weeks back because I didn’t text him back." But that wasn't the end of the story.

The hapless suitor then texted Amanda, and like some kind of loan shark, asked her to pay him back immediately so she would incur "penalty fines." Wow; way to make yourself look even less attractive. As you can see below, Amanda was having none of it, and told him exactly where he could stick his invoice.

However, I think there is a lesson to be learned here, which is that being ghosted sucks for everyone involved. I'm not saying that it excuses this kind of behaviour, but maybe Amanda should have thought about letting her amorous date down gently, instead of giving him the cold shoulder. Still, I'm pretty confident that she's never going to fork over that $40. I'm not sure I would either.

 

The Millennial generation has seen the rise of a completely new form of dating, one that is conducted largely through our screens. Yes, we log into platforms such as Tinder and Bumble and accept or reject potentials on the basis of their Facebook profiles and a short bio. And it goes without saying, but this is a completely different landscape to the dinner-and-a-movie type affair that our parents enjoyed.

And boy are there some downsides - in the world of online dating, it appears that every bad quality a love interest could have is exemplified. But irrespective if you've met someone through a dating app or via a mutual friend, you still have to suss out just what level of crazy your potential love interest is.

Here are 12 of the craziest red flags that people failed to notice with their exes.

1. Ouch 

2. You don't want that in a relationship...

3. Lucky escape? I think so.

4. That's a red flag if ever I saw one...

5. Oh dear

6. At least you were there for her during a tough time

7. Never!

8. Makes sense 

9. Never enter into a controlling relationship 

10. Cheating should never be tolerated 

11. What a red flag!

12. This doesn't sound fair

Well, there you have it. Next time you go out on a first date be sure to take caution when it comes to these warning signals.

While the world of online dating has opened up new channels of communication that never used to be possible, it does have its downsides. For every story of someone meeting their life partner on Tinder or Bumble, there are 100 stories of unsolicited d**k pics, inappropriate language and just downright harassment.

Unfortunately, the majority of these messages come from men - who believe that they have a divine right to talk in a crude and disgusting manner to females in order to land themselves a date. However, while a large percentage of females simply ignore the messages, some do respond and it can be majestic.

Take a look at 13 of the best replies to creepy male text messages ever sent.

1. She answered the question to be fair

2. Lava or a creep? I know which I'd take

3. Well, you didn't specify

4. Very punny

5. Urm, I don't really get where this is going

6. The female BOSS

7. I wonder which part of "no" he doesn't understand - the "n" or the "o"?

8. Tinder or an English lesson? You decide

9. The perfect answer

10. She's got you sussed, Alex

11. You two would make a great couple

12. Wheeeeeey!

13. She has absolutely done you there

So there you have it, the best way to deal with creepy Tinder trolls is to clap back at them. Not only will it more than likely shut them up, but you may even achieve a certain level of internet notoriety.

[caption id="attachment_4579" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @Thatguy9211[/caption] Ah, dating. That nightmarish experience where we try as hard as possible to hide who we really are from someone in the hopes of coming across really cool and not seeming like a goofy idiot. Then one day you meet someone who, right from the off, makes you feel able to indulge in all your worst, stupidest, goofiest habits right from the off, even if it means staging ridiculous pranks that would annoy most people. The best relationships start when you've finally found someone with the same sense of humor as you, who accepts you even when you're at your stupidest. These 30 boyfriends have staged ridiculous stunts that, yes, could be seen as irritating or attention-seeking or just plain dumb from a certain light, but also show that these must be some really fun relationships to be in! [post_page_title]#1 This Bit Of Misdirected DIY[/post_page_title] The girlfriend who took this picture was very excited at first because her boyfriend had said he was going to make a bed frame. She naturally assumed it was so they could sleep together in a handmade bed. [caption id="attachment_4580" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @julcarls[/caption] Turns out he just wanted the cat to have somewhere nice to lie down. [post_page_title]#2 This Big Night In With The Dog[/post_page_title] This guy was left looking after the dog for the weekend and told to send his girlfriend updates on how it was going. This was the first picture he sent. [caption id="attachment_4581" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @eric72goblue[/caption] I sure hope he allowed for at least an afternoon to tidy up before she got back. It looks like it was one hell of a party. [post_page_title]#3 This Guy Photobombing His Own Wedding Photo[/post_page_title] Wedding photos can be very formal, serious things, and that's understandable - a lot of money and planning goes into weddings, and you want the photos to be just right. This guy isn't bothered and has decided to just be himself. [caption id="attachment_4582" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @Thatguy9211[/caption] Personally, I think all wedding photos should have this much silliness in them. I think this is great. [post_page_title]#4 This Unusual Christmas Lights Display[/post_page_title] This guy's wife had been getting upset that their house didn't look very festive and saying they should put some lights up. This is what he decided to install on the front of their house. [caption id="attachment_4583" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @OpticDream[/caption] To be fair, it's hard to get around every single chimney in the world without stopping for a toilet break at some point. [post_page_title]#5 This Inventive Use Of Candles[/post_page_title] This guy obviously put so much time into making a tasty-looking birthday cake that he forgot to check if they had the right candles to mark his girlfriend's 39th birthday. [caption id="attachment_4584" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @Kwantumflux[/caption] His quick-thinking maths is impressive, though, as he manages to find a solution just with what he has to hand. [post_page_title]#6 This Baby's Facial Adornments[/post_page_title] This guy was left in charge of the baby while his wife was away and was asked to send a picture of him to show he was ok. [caption id="attachment_4585" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @damnItIan[/caption] The baby had finally fallen asleep by the time he took the picture, but he wanted to give an impression of what he'd been like up until that point. [post_page_title]#7 This Tinder-Chat Blanket[/post_page_title] This guy has come up with one of the most over-the-top, and one of the sweetest, anniversary presents ever. To celebrate one year of marriage to his wife, he gets their first-ever conversation on Tinder printed onto a big blanket. [caption id="attachment_4586" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @TeenageTeenwolf[/caption] There's just hope there's nothing too X-rated in there that any guests or visiting family members would object to seeing! [post_page_title]#8 This Guy Posing With His Cat[/post_page_title] This guy has such a close bond with his girlfriend's cat that they're able to mimic one another's expressions and do synchronized photoshoots together. [caption id="attachment_4587" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @Arsenicyellow[/caption] I just hope he's also this emotionally tuned-in to his girlfriend herself and not just to her cat. [post_page_title]#9 This Car Seat Replacement[/post_page_title] This guy had to drive his toddler to the babysitter's house, but he realized too late that his wife had left with the car seat. When she asked how he was going to resolve the problem, he sent her this... [caption id="attachment_4588" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @Big-D_OdoubleG[/caption] And then turned his phone off for 4 hours. I hope she saw the funny side of it! [post_page_title]#10 This Ill-Advised Gag[/post_page_title] This is certainly a well-written gag and one you've got to appreciate once you get over how mean it is. [caption id="attachment_4589" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @she_oops[/caption] The best relationships are the ones where you know one another well enough to be this mean, I reckon. [post_page_title]#11 This Dog Burial[/post_page_title] This guy decided to take his girlfriend's dog to the beach for some quality time together and even went to the effort of sending her photos of all the fun they were having together. [caption id="attachment_4590" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @AlexanderTheGr347[/caption] My favorite thing about this is how utterly resigned to its fate the poor dog seems to be. [post_page_title]#12 This Failed Family Photo[/post_page_title] This guy was taking a family photo of his wife and daughters and told a naff "Dad Joke" to get them to smile, prompting these expressions... [caption id="attachment_4591" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @Tio76[/caption] Obviously, some of his family appreciate his sense of humor more than others! [post_page_title]#13 This Toast Origami[/post_page_title] When you're sick, the one thing you want is for someone to just kindly go and fetch you what you want. Even better if they do it and incorporate a high-effort, low-return pun into the proceedings too. [caption id="attachment_4592" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @bonjourdebbie[/caption] I'm having trouble working out how those pieces combine to form a whole slice. There are some extra bits unaccounted for, right? Or is it just me? [post_page_title]#14 This List Of Reasons For Crying[/post_page_title] Some people are just very tuned into their emotions, and it doesn't take much to set them off. This guy decided to keep a record of everything that made his girlfriend cry, and it's quite the read. [caption id="attachment_4593" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @TechnicallyRon_[/caption] I'm with her on the videos of dogs thing, to be honest. I'm in bits if I even see a dog. Lovely things. [post_page_title]#15 This Age-Appropriate Game Of Risk[/post_page_title] This guy was left alone with the kids for the first time and was asked by his wife to send a picture of them to show how they were doing. This is what he sent... [caption id="attachment_4594" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @johnsbuffalo[/caption] Looks like all four teams have fairly equal control of the board at the moment, so the babies are doing very well for their first game. [post_page_title]#16 This Guy Trying To Get Out Of Shopping[/post_page_title] Everyone's ended up having to tag along on an unwanted shopping trip at some point, whether with a parent or a partner or whatever. Not everyone has found it so terrible that they've had to resort to outside help to get out of it like this guy, though. [caption id="attachment_4595" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @DudeDad[/caption] I wonder if he got picked up by anyone and hitch-hiked his way out of there? [post_page_title]#17 This Incredible Christmas Outfit[/post_page_title] This guy was told by his wife to dress up for a professional family Christmas photo shoot. I imagine she was thinking of a general smart-casual vibe with perhaps a festive twist. He was thinking of this... [caption id="attachment_4596" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @Darzin[/caption] It's a strong look, but hey, if you can't wear it for a professional Christmas photoshoot, there's literally no time you can ever wear it, so good on him. [post_page_title]#18 This Gender Reveal Cake[/post_page_title] Gender reveal parties are an odd recent fad, but the dad-to-be who went and got this cake made at least seems to understand that they're inherently a bit silly and has certainly gone with that vibe for the message. [caption id="attachment_4597" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @Lemongrass29[/caption] I wonder if there were any more elderly relatives here to celebrate the imminent arrival of their grandchildren who found this less funny than others? [post_page_title]#19 These Herb Puns[/post_page_title] This guy decided to be helpful by labeling some of his wife's herbs. But rather than give in to boring tradition by just labeling them with their names, he's decided to incorporate some excellent puns. [caption id="attachment_4598" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @whit1and[/caption] I'm sure he mint no harm by it. [post_page_title]#20 This Tree Topper[/post_page_title] This guy's fiancee was worried their Christmas tree was a bit too serious and drab and told him to find a more fun, festive tree topper to take the edge off. This is what he came up with. [caption id="attachment_4599" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @katlikeafox[/caption] A total failure, as far as I'm concerned. This bit of King Kong is very dramatic and emotional and not funny or silly at all. What was he thinking? [post_page_title]#21 This Goat-in-the-Bed[/post_page_title] This picture was taken by a woman who was woken by her husband late at night texting her and saying: "Wake up or I'm bringing the goats inside!" She ignored the text and went back to sleep and then was woken by this... [caption id="attachment_4600" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @whitedragonatx[/caption] There must be more context to this story that explains it. They must have had a pet goat in the garden, right? Surely. Or did the husband steal a goat? It's an odd one, this. [post_page_title]#22 This Letter From Santa[/post_page_title] This dad was charged with writing the letter from Santa that the kids would discover on Christmas morning but realized halfway through that there's not much point in him writing anything that specific. [caption id="attachment_4601" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @SirSilksalot[/caption] A fair point well made. [post_page_title]#23 This Sabotaged Anniversary Message[/post_page_title] This guy's wife put the message "We Still Do" on this board to celebrate their 13-year anniversary, and posted a picture of it to Instagram before noticing that he'd added an extra word while she wasn't looking. [caption id="attachment_4602" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @PM_ME_WITH_A_SMILE[/caption] I hope it was a good long time before she noticed and that this picture was out there on Instagram causing maximum mischief before she realized. [post_page_title]#24 These Stockings With Ulterior Motives[/post_page_title] This husband, whose name is Ian, was very insistent that he and his wife's new puppy be given its own stocking on Christmas Day. She thought it was a very sweet idea, until she realized his actual reason for pushing for it. [caption id="attachment_4603" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @alymac95[/caption] I wonder if marrying someone whose name begins with A was simply Stage 1 of his masterplan? [post_page_title]#25 This Burrito Girlfriend[/post_page_title] When their classes were canceled due to arctic weather conditions, this guy decided to make a boring day in a bit more interesting by wrapping his girlfriend up like a burrito and feeding her mozzarella sticks. [caption id="attachment_4604" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @goodlittleguy[/caption] She looks happy, but I do hope she was on-board with all of this, otherwise it'd be a horrific thing to be subjected to. [post_page_title]#26 This Escaped Spider Prank[/post_page_title] This guy played a prank on his arachnophobe wife by leaving this rather unpleasant surprise for her at the end of the day. [caption id="attachment_4605" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit[/caption] Fingers crossed it didn't send her into a total panic. [post_page_title]#27 This Parkinsons Prank[/post_page_title] This guy, after being diagnosed with Parkinson's, managed to find the funny side of his illness by sending out this as his Christmas letter to his friends. [caption id="attachment_4606" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @akiro27[/caption] The little sticker from his wife explaining the joke just makes it extra adorable, I reckon. [post_page_title]#28 This Bug Prank[/post_page_title] This guy's girlfriend had recently had a bug problem in her apartment. One night, when they were drinking together, and she had got quite drunk, he decided to do this while she had gone to the toilet. [caption id="attachment_4607" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @ketchuppacket[/caption] This is one of those real "Could be hilarious or could end the relationship" pranks, so fingers crossed it went well for him! [post_page_title]#29 This Horrific Pie[/post_page_title] This guy was asked by his wife to cut vents in the turkey pie she was baking to let the air circulate through it. This is what he did... [caption id="attachment_4608" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @FillsYourNiche[/caption] It's one of the most horrible things I've ever seen. I feel like someone needs to kill the poor thing to put it out of its misery. [post_page_title]#30 This Photoshoot[/post_page_title] This guy grew a mustache his girlfriend really hated and was told he had to shave it off. He did, but only after saying goodbye to it with a professional photo shoot with his dog. [caption id="attachment_4609" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit - Reddit @sapperdanman[/caption] To be fair, in this context the mustache does look pretty good. But it's a fairly specific context, I suppose.