Here's Why You Should Never Drink Coffee Before A Date

Having a coffee before you go on a date initially seems like a great idea. It will wake you up, and give you a jolt of energy to turn you into your most smiley, confident, engaged self. Sadly, this is not true. Drinking a coffee before a date is a fail-safe way to ensure that your date does not go as perfectly as it could have done.

If you're naturally a nervous, quiet person, drinking coffee before a date is one surefire route to an unsuccessful first meeting. And if you're an outgoing extrovert, having a coffee will make you even more energetic and babbly than you normally are, and not in a good way. This is all because coffee triggers your stress hormones. This means, rather than appearing to be the calm, collected person you want to be, you will in fact be jittery and even more nervous than you already were.

The aggressive boost of energy that we all turn to coffee for isn't necessarily what you want before a date either. This huge extra energy kick can make you very efficient when you've got a million emails to respond to at work, but on a date it will hinder your ability to concentrate and engage in an organic, natural conversation. Your brain will be unable to focus on the conversation at hand, and you'll be constantly drifting off thinking of other things, or jumping from topic to topic in an incomprehensible way.

It's not only your brain and your nervous system that coffee affects. On a more tangible note, drinking coffee really makes your breath smell. You may be so used to that stale coffee taste that stays in your mouth after you finish your daily cup of joe that you no longer notice it, but the person sitting on the other side of the table from you will definitely be able to smell it on your breath. Coffee will also stain your teeth, and no one wants to date someone with yellow teeth. If you do insist that coffee doesn't affect how you feel and continue to have that iced coffee before your date despite our advice, please make sure you brush your teeth afterwards, to avoid your date backing away from you and retreating to the other end of the room.