Something’s not quite right and I can’t quite decide who’s to blame. When you chat to anyone about dating – guy or girl – they usually refer more to the negative aspects than the good. I don’t know if maybe the bad experiences are just a tad more memorable or if the good experiences are becoming fewer and far between. One thing that is certain however, is that more and more women are becoming fed up of dating.

As I carried out my usual online research this week I couldn’t help but notice women are becoming more and more cynical about what you tell them. Admittedly, I’m probably quite annoying asking question after question about their love life, but so many girls simply don’t believe what you’re telling them and I think it’s important that we start to consider why.

When I said I was a dating blogger, I was called a liar. I sent them a link, they said “hmmmmm”. I said I wasn’t on looking for a relationship, they called me a cheater. They even said that wasn’t my real picture, but I’ll take that one as a compliment. As frustrating as it all was though and as much as you want to say “right Skype me, Skype me and then you’ll see!!” (jokes) I suppose I couldn’t quite blame them. It was just surprising that the more honest I tried to be, the more every word was deemed “a line.” But do us guys only have ourselves to blame? Maybe the likes of Tinder have shown guys in their worst possible light? Maybe the temptation to be a bit cheeky is just too much? As I’ve said before, guys wouldn’t dream of saying half the stuff they do on Tinder to a girl’s face.

I spoke with a female friend over the weekend and she was telling me about the amount of times guys have said to her “if only I wasn’t married” or “if only I didn’t have a girlfriend” and yes fair play to them they’re being honest that they have a partner, unfortunately honest or not their words are still a lot more suggestive than they should be.

So guys what can we do to turn things around?

This may sound a tad strange but I would ‘friend zone’ a girl early on, it’s the best way of showing you’re not just after one thing and you don’t know each other well enough yet for the friendship to be so strong that it won’t turn into something more. If women are cynical, nine times out of ten it’s some other guy’s fault but just be a friend (at least initially) and you can’t go far wrong.

Listen to what she has to say. Speaking to a cynic can be a bit off-putting, in fact it’s tempting to end the conversation pretty early on. However, if you can get past that early negativity and listen to what they have to say, you tend to find that behind even the harshest of cynics is someone who just wants a little bit of a love story.

Don’t push things. Being pushy doesn’t work in any relationship situation never mind trying to win over a cynic. I suppose this comes hand in hand with being a friend and a good listener, but seriously don’t overstep the mark by being a friend, listening and then a week later invite her for a late-night Netflix session!

Be funny. You don’t need to be Glasgow’s answer to Chandler Bing, but have a sense of humour about things, make them laugh. As odd as it may sound being a cynic won’t win over a cynic, in fact you’ll both just be rather miserable. Learn to laugh at your past experiences and life will most certainly become that little bit easier.