Want to know where the happiest people are? Well, according to a report by ABC News, you can get a pretty good visual picture of where people are in the country.

New York artist and performer Luke DuBois used data from over 19 million online dating profiles to create a map showing how Americans in different parts of the country describe themselves when they’re looking for love.

The results offer some pretty interesting insight into how different areas of the country use different terms to describe their single status.

For example, women in West Virginia and men in parts of the Southwest are more apt to describe themselves as “kinky” than in other areas of the country. Women in Oklahoma, Florida and men in Texas often use the word “lonely” when they’re single.

DuBois then gave each town its own one word description, based on the word most often used by singles there to describe themselves. Washington DC is “interesting”, while Montgomery, Alabama is “conservative”.

The data brings to light how people use their online dating profiles to attempt to stand out from the crowd. DuBois mapped 20,000 different words in his research, which certainly proves that all online daters are not using words like “fun”, ” smart” and “free-spirited” to describe themselves.

News & Views Funny, Happiness, Personal Profiles, Personality

Just getting someone to say ‘yes’ is stressful enough, but when you’re all relieved and happy that he/she agreed, it hits you.

I’m going to look like a fool.

Before you go into panic mode, here are some tips for your first date that will make things go a lot smoother.

• Realize that your date is just as nervous as you are
• Don’t worry about being overly funny or witty, just be yourself
• Bring enough cash for both of you
• Have a backup plan if you want to leave
• Realize that you’re just on a date, you’re not getting married

The main reason why some people get so nervous on first dates is that they think that if this is the person of their dreams, they’d better not screw it up. However, why not approach it like any other outing with a friend?

That’s all they are at this point anyways.

Try to ask a lot of questions of your date to see what he/she is like. By doing this, you are showing that you are interested in their interests, and you also won’t have to talk as much.

If you run into a pause of silence, don’t get nervous. Just wait a few moments and then ask about something that you’re doing – how’s the food? What did you think of the movie?

Even the best conversationalists will run out of things to say occasionally. The trick is to not get nervous and just slowly get back into a conversation.

Sweaty palms? It’s okay. He/she is probably reading this too.

Dating Essentials Conversation Topics, Date Ideas, First Dates, Funny, Interests, Nerves