I’ve been thinking a lot about dating. Majority of people my age do. There is such a specific American dynamic in dating that people take for granted or never step outside of to notice the web you are caught in.
There are a couple of rules and elements that create the frame work.

One: attraction - physical or energetic
Two: list of things you want in a partner
Three: timing - could be age, could be time spent in a city, schedules, etc.
Four: Life style choices
Five: History and psychological state
Six: culture/societal standards