Quantcast
Bad breath a deal breaker – Metro US

Bad breath a deal breaker

Halitosis No. 1 reason for turning down a date: study

nick ut/associated press

Adrien Brody, left, freshens up his breath as Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Frank Pierson looks on at the nominations ceremony for the Oscars in January.

Asking somebody out takes a degree of courage … and possibly a breath mint or two, according to a recent survey conducted by PKS Research Partners.

Bad breath was the number one reason women gave for turning down a potential date. And unless there is a medical condition behind that halitosis, I’d have to agree. I once made the mistake of going out with a guy who had beer and Doritos for dinner. Our first kiss left me with my stomach in my throat — and not from the kiss.

When it comes to dating, good hygiene and good breath do go a long way — if they didn’t, we wouldn’t have such a profitable industry devoted to keeping us smelling good and looking clean. But even with fresh breath and a long-lasting deodorant, our dating opportunities can come up short.

“Once, I decided to stop dating a guy because his tongue wasn’t long enough,” says Sarah, 26. “It just felt really weird when he kissed me.”

For this dater, the tongue isn’t the only place where she likes a little length.

“I’ve also turned down dates from men who are shorter than me,” she says. “I like the men I date to be tall.”

Other reasons I’ve heard for turning down a date come from, well, below the belt.

“I once dumped a guy because of his shoes,” says Marissa, 26. “He was wearing black Heelys Ventures, which I really didn’t like. What can I say, it was a brand thing.”

Although I’m not proud to admit it, I too have found trivial reasons for refusing a date. I once turned down a guy for having overactive salivary glands. At first I tried to ignore it, but it was game over when one wad of spit hit me in the eye.

Right or wrong, we often make these snap judgments in our dating lives. And while being selective is wise, being overly picky is not. So even though it is important to have a set of real deal breakers, or qualities in a partner we absolutely will not stand for, it’s also wise to be open minded to the idea that the right partner might not come with the right kind of shoes.

Tune into SingleTalk Radio’s archives (www.worldtalkradio.com/show.asp?sid=191) to hear my thoughts on being happy, being single.

datingjungle@hotmail.com