So often we’re told not to settle, but every relationship dynamic involves settling to some degree. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. There are many instances when people settle in the interest of getting an approximation of what they want, and it’s not seen as a terrible thing. In fact, in pretty much every other aspect of our lives besides dating, it’s expected that we compromise or accept conditions that are less than perfect. We don’t always get the job we want with the pay we need, or if we do, there may be aspects of the job that we hate. Our relationships with friends require a certain amount of settling, as we can’t control when our friends decide to move and we can’t pick their partners for them—we have to accept the fact that their choices aren’t ours. But somehow, in sex and dating we are expected to settle for nothing less than perfection.
