But when you meet for your first date in real life, flirting can seem a lot more awkward. If only it was as easy as clicking the flirt button. Try these tips to release your inner flirt:

1. Mirror their body language – Apparently subtle things like taking a drink when he does will make him more attracted to you. Don't copy everything he does or he will think you are mocking him.
2. Twirl your hair – I've heard men find this alluring. Don't do it all night or you will give off an OCD vibe.
3. Touch your necklace – By touching your chest area you will draw attention to your breasts and you know men are suckers for breasts. Not such a good idea in my case however, since I lied about my bra size on my dating profile.
4. Smile! Oh it is so simple, but a smile makes your face so much more attractive.
5. Be Yourself – It's really hard to relax and flirt if you are pretending to be a straight laced lawyer when you are really a wild party girl. Honesty is always the key in online dating, it just took me a while to figure that out.

Whatever you do, don't try to twirl your hair, touch your chest and mirror his body language all at the same time, whilst smiling like a lunatic. Be natural and you will find real life flirting comes as easy as clicking a flirt button on a dating site.

I sighed and for a moment wished I had been honest in my dating site profile. Under the pressure of a friend, who was trying to be helpful, I had lied about my bra size, my dress size and my age, not to mention including photos of me with my hair straightened, rather than my usual mad curls. This was going to take a lot of effort. Luckily I had taken the afternoon off work and was ready for a serious makeover.

As I spent the next 3 hours applying make up, burning my hair with straightening irons, sucking in my stomach with a giant pair of Spanx and padding my push up bra with 'chicken fillets' I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the usual low maintenance me. The normal Me probably would have been a lot more appealing to the outdoor loving guy I had arranged to meet. I left the house feeling like an actress about to perform in a play and thought perhaps when it comes to online dating honesty saves a whole lot of work.

“I don't think I can do it,” I said to my friend Melissa the day before the date, “I have always gone for younger guys in the past. This is just so not me!”

“Yes, but you used to think online dating was 'so not you' and now look at you. You're a pro!”

“Oh God! How sad!” I put my head in my hands, but the truth was I had been having a lot of fun since starting online dating. I had met people I never would have come into contact with usually and made a lot of friends, who I would probably keep for life. Part of me was enjoying it so much I hoped I could keep dating for some time.

Melissa seemed to take pity on me, “Well if you don't want to date this man that's ok. But before you write him off let's make a list of all the good things about him.” Ah yes, one of Melissa's famous lists.

We wrote the heading 'Reasons to Date an Older Man' and came up with the following:

• He will be worldly wise. There is a lot I could learn from him.
• I knew from his profile he had 2 lovely rescued dogs.
• Good looking in a distinguished George Clooney kind of way
• Has a secure, well-paying job, so will probably pay for the date
• A bit more of a gentleman than I am used to. Might open the door for me.
• Good dresser (at least in his online photos)
• Likes similar things to me. Plus he likes cooking and I like eating.
• By comparison I will look really young
• I will feel like I am doing a good deed

Ok, so I admit they are not all great reasons for dating an older guy, but it was enough to convince me to go for it and I'm glad I did, because it was one of the nicest dates I have been on.

Likewise being in a relationship can get old as well. Bad fights, bad decisions and bad nights sleeping alone while in the bed with someone equally make you question the existence of that light. The point here being, at some point we all just get tired of love. Having it, not having it, having too little or too much of it: no matter what your status you can get burned out. So why do we all continue on trying to find it, keep it or nurture it?

My hypothesis is that it’s because of old people. Well, more appropriately, well-seasoned love. Most people have had that older couple in their family that acts as a shining example of what love can become after decades of dedication to one another. At the very least we’ve all seen that old couple in the park, mall or just in public in general that help each other walk to the car, overcome the obstacle that is a curb when you’re that age, or simply look at each other in a way that translates into years of love to the on-looker. That’s what we’re all after down deep I believe. It’s not about sex, bodily desires or the want of fame or fortune. Those things, though their pull might be quite strong, are not what make up a lifetime full of love. Well-seasoned love is not about lust, it’s about dedication to another person more so than you even have to yourself. It might one day become changing their diapers (and believe me, what you used to think was a cute butt ain’t so cute during that endeavor), helping them take every single step every day or feeding them their every meal. Adversely it might mean swallowing your pride and having them take care of you in those ways. With a divorce rate over 50% of all marriages, it’s hard to believe that well-seasoned love can still exist for the younger generations. Perhaps we should stop thinking of it as a thing that happens to us and start considering it a thing we make. You can make well-seasoned love, especially if you find the right person on a decent dating site. You don’t inherit it and it certainly doesn’t fall right in your lap. It’s made, nurtured and sometimes even endured.