I hate the age of "hanging out."

I don't necessarily think it has to be due to your age but it could be something else. If you're using a dating app, it could be part of the issue. Tinder is known for "hook-ups" whereas other apps like OKCupid or Bumble might be better for "dating." It's not unreasonable to not want a physical relationship right away, but I think it is not common these days to go right from your first date into a "relationship."

I don't think "hanging out" necessarily means "casual sex until we get sick of each other" but can also mean "getting to know each other and finding out if we're compatible before committing." So maybe you are misreading some guys. "Dates" don't have to have a label as a "date" to actually be a date. Sometimes "hanging out" just means "hanging out" as in time spent together aka a date. People go on "dates" before they decide they are "dating" if that makes any sense...

The other thing you could try is making more firm plans for activities for your dates rather than sticking to "movies and pizza" as your suggestion as that might come off kind of apathetic. A firm plan like let's go get coffee or go to the museum or something might come off a bit more like a "real" date and less like "Netflix and chill." By the way, I think movies make terrible first dates as you can't actually talk to a person. Much better to go hit up a farmer's market, cook a meal together, go mini-golfing or catch dinner at a cool new restaurant.

In short, don't feel pressured to become physical before you are ready, plan activities so that your dates are more about "doing" something and less about "being" somewhere. This helps set the expectation that you aren't looking to have sex, avoids boredom/awkward moments, and gives the date a definite "end" so that it can be over when you want it to be.

/r/offmychest Thread