We won’t admit it often, but there are many things that intimidate men when it comes to dating. Contrary to popular belief, many of these intimidations have less to do with your job or how much money you make, and more do with how your personality and how you conduct yourself during the first few dates. A strong wealthy woman is not intimidating at all. Women who display the following characteristics below are more intimidating. These are:

1. Being Judged By Your Female Friends – we men know what other men think. If we’re meeting a group of your guy friends for the first time, we’ll know if we fit in or not. If we’re meeting a group of your girlfriends for the first time, we tend to be more careful because we don’t know what to expect. This can be very scary! We believe women value the opinions of their girlfriends matter a lot. Sometimes we feel we have to please both your female friends and you at the same time. That’s pressure!
2. Your Ex-Relationship Stories – We do not need to know how your ex-relationships on the first few dates. We’re dating you, not all of your failed relationships, not your horrific stories. You may think you’re providing insight in how men have treated you poorly. In reality you’re really giving us ammunition to run away.
3. A Sense of Entitlement – there are some things that fall under being chivalrous. Paying for the first date, walking you home, etc. If you indicate that you’ve received lavish gifts from previous relationships or require gifts to maintain a steady relationship, you will fall into the “gold digger” category. Women who want material things for a successful relationship scare us and we will run away. There’s a difference between wanting chivalry and being greedy.
4. Being Judged By Your Pets – if you use your cat as a barometer for compatibility, we’ll think your crazy and run away. It’s understandable if you want to make sure we get along with your pets in the long-term, however using them as a magic 8 ball is insane. Usually people who aren’t particularly fond of a pet will become comfortable with the idea, they just need time. Do not use your pet as the deciding factor in the dating process.
5. Thinking Long-Term To Early – if you’re dating someone new (1 to 4 months) and already thinking of marriage, moving in and an extremely long-term commitment, then we already have one foot out of the door. No one should get married after a few months of dating. Marriage for many men doesn’t appear on our radar until about a year of being in a stable relationship with the same woman. We need to feel things out, to see how you will complete our life entirely. That process takes a lot of time!

(Image Credit: ekai on Flickr)