"Dating Doctor" David Coleman called 150 Dartmouth students gathered in Filene auditorium on Friday "the most sexually repressed audience of the spring."
Coleman came as part of Greek Week, to share key principles for relationship, the five stages of a relationship, descriptions of student's fantasy dates and bad pickup lines.
Coleman told students they "don't have to have sex, spend a fortune or get trashed in order to have success dating."
Coleman also advised students to approach people and not be scared to ask for a date because "people seldom remember who broke the ice, they're just happy to be standing in a puddle." Things that students said made it difficult to date at Dartmouth include the D-plan, being in a small town and BlitzMail.
Coleman said "opposites can and do attract" because "we are often drawn to qualities and characteristics in others that we lack ourselves."
Commenting on the fantasy dates from the students, Coleman said "you people are sick." Dartmouth fantasy's include coach rides, walks on the beach, and $240 worth of pudding
The four main issues that cause fights in relationships, Coleman said, are religion, alcohol, money and sex. In order to fight more fairly, he stresses that one must never attack their character.
"The person who loves, cares or tries the least, has all the control," he said about relationships.
The one thing that women and men want more than anything else, Coleman said, is "what we cannot have."
When asked about gifts, the audience said not to give women flowers. Coleman said to listen and give the woman her favorite candy next time you see her around campus. He also suggested calling a woman when she's not home to leave a message saying "I was thinking about you and just wanted to hear your voice."
Also, Coleman said gifts should be given a day before an important date with a card saying "No one as special as you should have to wait a day longer." The main advantage to this, he said, is that you have 24 hours to get a better gift, if needed.
Coleman said the reason we repeat bad relationships is that "we seek out what is familiar to us, and what we practice we become good at."
The first four stages of a relationship, according to Coleman, are infatuation, discovery, reality and decision. The last stage is when the relationship either enhances, maintains or regresses.
Coleman answered what he said was the top question asked about men - why they do not call after they say they will.
Coleman said that the top reason was men feel they cannot be rejected if they do not call. Other answers Coleman found in a survey of college men include they lost the phone number, and were drunk at the time and don't remember meeting the person.
Coleman also answered what he said was the top question asked about women - why they go to the bathroom in packs.
Coleman said his survey found women go to the bathroom in groups to analyze how dates are going so far, to form a plan of action for later in the evening and to call the men they really want to be on a date with.
Women were given 60 seconds to say anything to the men in the audience. Comments included "actually listening," "shower and shave," "admit your wrong" and "blitz the next day."
Men told the women to "shave," "show some initiative," "stop obsessing about their appearance" and "don't be jealous."
