Playing The Field: The Pros & Cons Of Dating Around

CON: Dating multiple people can be dangerous because if it's not done carefully and with analysis, it can be destructive. If there's always someone on the backburner, this can cause you to reject someone too quickly based on minor, unimportant things. —Samantha Karlin

PRO: Dating multiple people is a great way to learn about different cultures, perspectives, careers, etc. It's interesting to see how people differ in so many ways, and you might end up hitting it off with the person you least expected to, or be inspired to pursue a track in life that never even occurred to you before. —Samantha Karlin

CON: Dating more than one person at a time can be confusing. After all, you don't want to mix up who's saying what! —Lyndsay Katauskas, MEd 

PRO: By dating around you will become a better dater — and better with the opposite sex. Dating makes you more receptive to the opposite sex's ways of behaving and thinking and helps you understand what topics to bring up, and which ones to avoid. —Samantha Karlin

CON: Dating too many people can take away from vital friend and family time. Just because you're on the hunt to find the love of your life doesn't mean that your friends and family — who will always be there for you — should suffer as a result. —Samantha Karlin

PRO: Online dating is a numbers game. The more people you date, the sooner that person who's right for you will come along. In John Molloy's book, Why Men Marry Some Women and Not Others, he says "women who marry date more frequently than those who don't, even it's Mr. Wrong." —Samantha Karlin

CON: Dating around can cause a syndrome I call "SDS," or Serial Dating Syndrome, which happens when dating starts to become like a game, and the dates become pawns rather than people. In this situation, your ability for intimacy, sensitivity, and willingness to exert energy on anyone person gets swept away in the storm of people pounding on your dating site inboxes. Those with SDS initially think they are conquering the world before realizing how lost they really are. —Samantha Karlin

Come back tomorrow for Online Dating Bootcamp: Day 10, "10 Signs Your Online Date Could Lead To Lasting Love" featuring a advice from YourTango Expert Singles Warehouse.