The Real Reason We Get Nervous On Dates, According To A Dating Expert

While first date nerves are normal, they can often be over-the-top and defeat what you are trying to set out to do — show your personality at its best and make an impression on someone you might be attracted to. According to dating expert Matthew Huffsey, who runs the website "How to Get the Guy" and hosts the "Love Life" podcast, nerves can also come from thinking too far ahead regarding someone you may or may not hit it off with.

Huffsey put himself in an imaginary dating situation when he tried to explain those dating jitters. "Why am I so nervous on this date?" he asks. "It's ok to have a little bit of nerves, but why am I now paralyzed? I can't be funny. I'm not charming. I'm not telling any interesting stories. I'm just frozen. Why am I that nervous?"

He then offers a precise answer: "Because I've gone way into the future as if the castle's already been built, when actually all it is is a fantasy set of blueprints."