This ‘red flag’ dating hack will help you cut out the people who are wrong for you

It is not always easy to separate the wheat from the chaff in the dating world so when someone offers useful tips, it is a blessing.

Writing in the Metro, reporter Jessica Lindsay has just provided a good tip to ensure we are all on the right dating track, which she learnt from someone she met at a party.

The hack is simple: typing a red flag emoji beside your dates name in your contacts every time the person you are seeing does something that makes you feel uncomfortable or seems a bit suspicious. When they reach three red flags, it is time to ditch the date.

The person who made up the hack, Vicki, spoke about it with the Metro. She said: “We decided the easiest way is to ‘flag’ the alarm bells rather than ignore and then be surprised when they’re freaks.

“It is quite useful, and also funny to see what would be a red flag for someone might not be for someone else.”

She added that she also awards green flags. “Then we started giving green lights for good things – two green lights probably counters a red flag if you’ve decided on a number of red flags you’re willing to tolerate.”

Meanwhile, psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos told Metro.co.uk that it is a good way to make sure your dating needs are met. She said: “The sooner you set expectations on where you draw the line on certain behaviours and what makes you uncomfortable, the better.

“While it can be daunting to address what behaviours might be making you anxious or stressed out, doing it in writing allows you to plan through what you want to say and lay it out in a clear way.”

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She added that all red or green flags are different and “personal”.

“Whatever your own preferences and triggers are, remember everyone’s entitled to set boundaries and ask for them to be respected,” she added.

Sounds like a pretty smart idea to us.