Signalling #1: Why Treating a girl to a Meal at MacDonald’s Won’t Make Her Happy

Once a co-worker of mine went out on a date with a new guy, and he took her to McDonald’s for a Dollar Menu. McDonald’s! Dollar Menu! On their first date! Did I mention McDonald’s? When she looked doubtful (what girl wouldn’t?), he started quoting all the specials from Monday to Sunday, as if he’s letting her in on the greatest money-saving secret. My co-worker, a shoeaholic, ran as fast as her Jimmy Choos would allow her to.

But seriously, it has nothing to do with materialism. See, in economics there’s a communication technique called Signalling. The idea is that you could tell a lot about a company by its actions, without a word ever being said. Companies send signals to the market through their own behaviours (investing in R&D, firing their management, etc.), and the market will react accordingly (favourably or otherwise).

When a guy takes a girl out for an ultra cheap meal, what he’s really telling her is that he’s not that interested in investing in her, or impressing her. If he can’t be bothered to at least pretend to value her in the beginning, what do you think will happen three months down the road? There’s being financially responsible, and there’s being cheap. Also, if he’s this cheap with money, he could be stingy on the emotional level too.

No guys are going to tell you these things straight up (they might not even admit it to themselves), so it’s up to the girls to be observant and figure it out themselves. If the guy spends the whole date bitching about his ex-wife, it might be a signal that he’s too bitter to start a new relationship. If he’s still living at home, it might be a signal that he doesn’t want to grow up, and would expect you to take care of him like his mama. Run!