How do you know when dating gets serious

For them, it all comes down to a moment when it becomes crystal clear there’s great rapport.

Then over dinner, I was telling some story about what inspired me to change careers, and she pretty much finished my sentences for me.

“It’s emotionally comforting to know the person you’re sharing your body with isn’t bedding someone else in his spare time,” explains Dana, 25, from Brooklyn, NY.

“It makes sex more passionate and meaningful.” For other people, sex comes before a serious commitment — in fact, having sex is the very way they figure out whether they want to hang around for the long haul. C., explains it this way: “I’m not a dog, but I am a guy.

Explains Leslie, 30, of Madison, NJ: “I’m self-conscious about my body as it is, so I know that when I feel like unabashedly ripping my clothes off in front of him, I’ve reached a safe place.” Getting to this point is a gradual process.

“I like to have a few kissing sessions, sometimes clothed, other times partially clothed, to get used to the idea of being naked,” she says.