The E cigarette company Neo for National Fresh Breath Day found that the main reason to decline a second date is bad breath, despite the fact that everything else was perfect on their night out!
Relationships on Female First
67% of people thought that this was the biggest turn off but closely followed by 59% who said that talking about your ex-partner is not appealing on a first date. A date being rude can also mean that the date ends abruptly according to 48% of the respondents as well as 38% who said that flatulence was a huge turn off. Are you kidding me? Who would do this on a first date?
This begs the question; why have these people not brushed their teeth, or had a swish of mouthwash or even sucked on an mint before going on their date? Surely there is an unwritten rule that if you want a smooch on a first date that you take all the necessary precautions to make sure it goes well!
87% of women said that they would not go out on a date with a man again if he had bad breath; however men are less harsh, with only 33% saying that they would rule out a second meeting. Well, if they can’t make their breath smell nice what does that mean for the rest of their personal hygiene??
On average, a Brit will brush their teeth three times before going on a first date to make their teeth as white as possible and their breath fresh enough for a post-date lip lock. This comes before their appearance and what they are wearing, so it’s clearly important to a lot of peope to be minty fresh.
This taboo in both relationships and friendships reveals that 66% of women would not tell their friend if they had bad bread and would rather end the friendship than be truthful! When it came to work 15% said that their boss had a problem with smelly breath however none had the guts to tell them. A huge 74% avoided getting close to colleague for fear that they could smell their breath!
However in a relationship, once they have pushed past that first date, because of fresh breath as well as other attractions, if their partner’s oral hygiene dwindles, people are more forgiving of this, not letting it affect their love life.
I asked the girls in the office and they were all in agreement that they would not go on a second date if the man had bad breath. However one said that they would give him a second chance and if it was still bad on the second date, just tell him, as some people don’t know that they have it. She argues that bad breath is too superficial a reason not to see someone again if you have a connection.
Neo Director Estée Oren said: "It's clear from the research that bad breath or the fear of bad breath holds people back in all areas of their life, from romantic relationships to friendships and in their work.
"Given the survey results, halitosis appears to be the single biggest thing that can hold you back in your love life. From those asked it's clear that for the overwhelming majority of people they can have the perfect first date with sparkling conversation and chemistry, but if he leans in for a goodnight kiss and they are met by a wall of bad breath it's unlikely there will be a second date."
So what are your thoughts? Second chance on a second date or banished to the bathroom with a tube of toothpaste, never to see him again?
tagged in Kiss First Date