Sitting next to each other on a dinner or coffee date is better, given that body proximity offers you greater clarity on whether there is shared body chemistry.

Yes, initially, it’s a little uncomfortable.

After all, the dinner or coffee date is still young.

But it gets better.

Obviously, you shouldn’t be sitting so close beside each other that there is no respectable space.

As long as there is respectable space, there is breathing room.

If the date doesn’t go well, that space remains.

If the date goes well, that space closes.

This is where the comfort level between you is evident and your bodies naturally get closer as the dinner or coffee date progresses.

The problem with sitting across from each other is that it creates a barrier.

Sure, at first, sitting across from each other on dates feels comfortable, given how early it is.

But if you hit it off with each other, it becomes increasingly challenging to express that level of comfort with your bodies.

There are face to face romantic body language cues you can look to, but none of those are as effective as when the proximity between you is closer.

Sustained eye contact while facing each other on a dinner or coffee date is good, but it is a considerably more impactful when it is being done as you are sitting next to each other.

This type of proximity makes that level of sustained eye contact that much more visceral.

The same applies to leaning into each other.

When two parties are connecting romantically on a dinner or coffee date, they lean into or towards each other.

This is an unconscious attempt to get closer.

When there is something in the way, in this case, a table, it creates a boundary.

There is only so far you can lean in before the table starts smashing into your lungs.

We don’t want nor need a trip to the emergency room.

Sitting next to each other makes getting closer to each other so much easier.

The physical barrier isn’t there.

Leaning into each other in this instance means that you are enjoying this level of closeness, without feeling like something is physically preventing you from it.

When you face each other, it is so much easier to allow nerves to make you appear to be distracted.

You are capable of looking behind your date, and all around, in your attempt to avoid awkward or sustained eye contact.

Additionally, it is so much more enticing to avoid eye contact by looking elsewhere as you are talking to your date, regardless of your date sitting right in front of you.

Your date feeds off your energy.

If he observes that you are being distracted by what’s going on around you, or talking to him while avoiding eye contact, he does the same.

This sucks all the energy out of the date and kills it.

When you sit next to each other, it is a lot harder to keep talking without looking at your date.

The proximity almost forces you to look them in the eye.

This makes for a much better experience, keeping you focused on each other without distractions.

Whether you hit it off with each other on the dinner or coffee date or not, sitting next to each other makes it easy to feel far less awkward as the date progresses.

With no romantic connection, even when sitting next to each other, you are able to maintain a respectable distance so that neither party feels awkward or uncomfortable.

With a romantic connection, the proximity is conducive to how you get to express yourselves.

Without anything physically getting in the way, body chemistry is permitted to flourish.