Dating just got even more complicated. A new online survey shows that 69 percent of 18 - 54-year-olds have no clue on how to determine whether they are "dating" or merely "hanging out" with someone.

Obviously, the difference between "dating" and "hanging out" differs with each person.  One 25-year-old woman who was interviewed described it as:
"A date is someone personally asking you out — that sometimes can get confused with a one-on-one hangout, depending on the way they mention it or which medium they use to ask you or if it happens to be a group hangout."
Another 24-year-old, this time of the opposite sex, explained it simply as: "It comes up often. 'I hope she doesn't think this is a date. I just want to have fun.'"

By the looks of it, the eternal "dating vs. hanging out" conflict is nowhere near to being solved. Maybe the best thing is to just leave all those expectations at home and not over think this whole dating thing in the first place.

[USA Today]