Dating can be great or it can be the absolute pits, whether you're 17 or 70. The basic story of dating hasn't changed in thousands of years  – boy meets girl and they make a connection. So why such sweaty palms if the dating game is so old? No, it’ s not because you’re the nerd of the universe and everyone else is way cooler than you are. It’s because the rules have all changed. On top of that, dating can feel really scary because it has to do with big-ticket items: the opposite sex and rejection. Yikes!

Dating For Dummies is your guide to the dating scene if you have never dated, have rarely dated, or if you've experienced a life change and want to start dating again. Whether you're a teenager, young adult, divorced, widowed, or an older adult, this useful reference can help you meet, date, and start a relationship with the person of your dreams.

Discover ways to increase your confidence, polish your social skills, figure out what you want, and find out where the best places are to meet your future mate. Full of essential tips and dating wisdom, Dating For Dummies covers everything a single person in search of a date should know, including:

• Selecting the right place for your first date
• Finding the best places to meet people
• Knowing how to protect yourself and understanding the myths and facts about date rape
• Ditching your date (politely) and exiting with style
• Finding dating tips for single parents, seniors, or those involved in office romances and long-distance relationships
• Knowing when not to date Meeting your online date, blind date, or personal-ad date
• Surviving a break-up and waiting out the rebound period
• Realizing that you are in love

With a little help from Dating For Dummies, discover how to turn what could be a disastrous date into a good time (and a fabulous relationship). Author Dr. Joy Browne  – licensed clinical psychologist, best-selling author, and award-winning radio talk show host  – guides you through it all.

This new edition  includes new and updated content, including updated information on places to find potential dates, specifically examining the recently popular phenomenon of speed dating, dating services, and special “singles” nights at unexpected places like grocery stores, etc. Also, with couples like Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore in the news, Dating For Dummies, 2E  has  dating advice for those interested in dating someone of  a significantly different age, dating someone who has been previously married, and dating someone with children.  This new edition also includes additional hip, safe tips and advice on using the Internet to meet new people, as well as proper cellular phone etiquette for dating.  Dating For Dummies, 2E also features new confidence boosters to help meet, date and start a relationship with Mr. or Mrs. Right, as well as how to prepare for dates and have a great time.  Dating For Dummies, 2E features advice for divorced, widowed, and even senior singles.

If you’re looking for a fun Saturday night date or a happily-ever-after mate, this is the guide for you. Whether you’re young and haven’t dated much or older and have been out of circulation so long you’ve forgotten how to flirt, dating can be intimidating. Author Dr. Joy Browne, America’s favorite psychologist, demystifies the whole dating process, from getting a date, plotting the place, and having a great time (or dealing with dud dates) to moving beyond a first date, playing it safe, and how sex can impact a budding relationship.

In this new edition, Dr. Joy offers updated guidance on how to find a date, covering "speed dating," Internet dating services, and singles nights at grocery stores and other unexpected places. She delivers fresh pointers on a whole host of topics, including:

• Building your confidence and polishing your social self
• Determining if you’re really ready to date
• How to meet and approach Mr. or Ms. Intriguing
• Where to go, what to do, what to wear, and what to avoid on the first date
• Taboo subjects, such as your ex, sex, politics, and religion
• Cell phone and e-mail etiquette
• Moving from dating to a successful relationship and the four stages of attachment
• Breaking up (just in case Mr. or Ms. Right wasn’t) and avoiding pity parties and pitfalls
• The dos and don’ts of Internet dating

Dr. Joy Browne’s nationally syndicated daily radio show is the longest running program of its kind. Dr. Joy has won numerous awards for her work including the American Psychological Associations President’s Award and the Talkers Magazineaward for Best Female Talk Show Host (two years in a row). She was #10 on the list of the 25 Greatest Radio Talk Show Hosts of All Time, and has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Talk Show Hosts nine times. Dr. Joy can frequently be seen on television as a guest on shows such as CBS’ The Early Show, Oprah Winfreyand Larry King Live. Dr. Joy has authored: It’s A Jungle Out There Jane, Dating for Dummies, The Nine Fantasies That Will Ruin Your Life, and Getting Unstuck

Dating For Dummies, 2nd Editionincludes advice for special dating situations such as long-distance relationships, office romances, single parents, senior citizens, and more. It gives you worksheets to help you objectively analyze your date expectations and evaluate a relationship. Packed with real-world wisdom, confidence boosters, and a dash of humor, this is the guide to help you get out of exile, get into dating, and perhaps even get into a meaningful relationship.

Dr. Joy Brownehas won numerous awards, including back-to-back female “Talk Show Host of the Year”; was nominated for the Marconi award for best talk show host; was named one of USA Today’s 10 most influential broadcasters; and is a member of Vanity Fair’s Radio Hall of Fame. She is currently the author of 13 books and counting including Getting Unstuck(Hay House) and Dating Disasters and How to Avoid Them(Hay House). In her spare time she has appeared on everyone’s television show, including her own on CBS and Discovery Health. Dr. Joy enjoys hot air ballooning, yoga, and helping people to improve their lives.

She’s gotten her dating experience on the front lines, by watching, listening, and doing, and she’s always working on a book about relationships.