About First Date Attraction

The purpose for first date is to discover attraction. Just mild attraction, instant love-slavery is not the goal here. In first date(s), the goal is to gain enough direct experience of a new contact to decide whether you ever want to see them again. Both men and women are assessing each other for the degree of attraction - or sexual chemistry - between them. And they may have distinctly different ideas of what constitutes that chemistry. But still, assessing surface chemistry is about all you can reasonably expect from the first - or the first few - dates with a new contact.
It is not in the province of the first date to decide on the merits of that person as a mate or a sex slave. Although some people claim to know in a heartbeat whether their new contact is worthy of further attention, based on my functional definition of A Date, anywhere from one to four contacts is a reasonable amount of exposure to detect a spark of desire which could be fanned into a warm glow . . . and to see whether there is enough commonality to support the flames which might result.
In this early stage of dating, the Intelligent Strategy is still fairly divergent and inclusive. Your social task is to sort from among your numerous (I hope) new contacts those people whose company is pleasant enough to make you want to see them again.
At this stage it is important that you neither foreclose options too soon nor drag out an inevitable separation too long. In no less than one and no more than four face-to-face encounters, any half-conscious adult should be able to discern whether their new aquaintance is:
a.) Attractive enough to get the job done,

b.) Pleasant and interesting enough to look forward to seeing again,

c.) Free of major psychiatric symptoms or signs of alien origin.

What else could you expect from a few meetings? Surely no mature adult would assume from a few good dates that they had the basis for a soul sustaining love or a solid partnership? Oh no! That would be too, too pain-fully adolescent to bear, despite the fact that millions of single men and women eagerly subject themselves to such guaranteed suffering on a daily basis.
Please note: early-stage dating is inclusive. Monogamous commitment is not a goal at this point. You are still only surveying possibilities. You cannot possibly know enough about one another at this point to do more than agree to know each other better. Since an exclusive arrangement is not reasonably possible at this point, it is best not to act as though you have made one. Seeing more than one person at a time is not only feasible at this point, it is the intelligent thing to do. Anyone genuinely searching for a mate needs to be out and about, getting as much warm attention and fun as they can bear.
Early stage dating with numerous aquaintances in varying degrees of friendliness and closeness protects against social deprivation and reduces the urgency factor which so often leads to impulsive, but delusional, commitments.
In the early stages of dating, no matter how devilishly attractive a date may be, do not succomb to the juvenile romantic temptation to fixate on them alone and stop yourself from meeting new aquaintances or dating other people! Don't do it!

If you are serious about mating with ecstatic success, it is important that you date enough people, long enough, steadily enough, and thoughtfully enough to allow Emotional Attachment to develop from Attraction.