Lets just throw out for the time being that nature has embedded within us the instinct to procreate, and with the possible exception of some single celled organisms and the Virgin Mary it takes two to accomplish this. Lets not get too crazy in dismissing the instinct to reproduce or the fact that the act of reproduction can be incredibly fun, but there are other reasons men and women feel the need to be together as well, companionship probably being the best known of them.

People get lonely, that’s the plain and simple of it and as such we search for others who have similar interests and enjoy the same activities, possibly comparable education among other things, all in hopes of not having to go through life alone. If you have ever sat alone at a restaurant while having dinner, you know exactly how it feels to be alone when it seems that everyone around you is a couple, which brings us to our next reason.

Have you ever noticed that seats at a restaurant are almost always in even numbers and the small, quaint, out of the way tables have two chairs? This world is set up to accommodate couples. Just as the old song tells about a “bicycle built for two” many other things are as well. A love seat sofa would probably named differently if men and women had no need of one another.

Think about spending a quiet evening at home watching a movie on your love seat by yourself, and now think about watching that same movie with someone special. Most of the scary rides at the amusement park have seating set up for two, as grabbing your significant others hand as the roller coaster falls from an very great height causes you share a special moment. The world was set up to accommodate couples, and that seems to be a pretty good thing.

Even though the divorce rate in modern times is at an astronomically high percentage, people still have the urge to get married. Maybe this desire is the result of seeing all those around you that have taken the plunge into holy matrimony and you don’t want to be left out. It could also be that society expects those of a certain age range to seek out a significant other to spend the rest of their lives with.

Whichever way you may look at it, dating can lead to marriage much in the same way cigarette smoking may lead to lung cancer, it may not be a certainty, but the statistics show a significant probability.

There are many, many more reasons that people date, some will date to meet new and interesting people while others may date as means of networking for their businesses. Lawyers and realtors can use dating to generate more clients by serial dating and also getting introduction to the friends of those they date. It’s a good business idea if you really think about it and it might be lots of fun too.

The best reason for dating however has got to be friendship. You have to enjoy spending time with the person you are dating and if you feel a bit empty or lonely when your are not with that person, it’s a good sign your friendship is transcending the casual level. The best marriages start out as friendships and are built over time. To find a friend that eventually becomes a spouse is problem the most important reason that people date.