When you met him on a dating app, there was an ease in how camaraderie was established.

A dating app is impartial.

It isn’t face to face.

A face to face meeting is a different story.

He isn’t looking at your dating profile through a digital interface anymore.

He is looking at you in the flesh, face to face.

This is intimidating for a lot of people.

It isn’t surprising that there are lots of shy or socially awkward people who sign up on dating apps.

Although you didn’t get the impression that he is a shy or socially awkward guy as you chatted with him on a dating app, this doesn’t mean that he isn’t.

Socializing on a dating app is different from socializing in a live meeting.

Conducting a conversation with someone on a dating app is less intimidating.

A shy or socially awkward person isn’t as intimidated when he is communicating through cyberspace versus in person.

When you are on an in-person date with him, he is on the spot.

Unlike text messaging you on a dating app, he doesn’t have the time to think through his responses to you.

He has to have extemporaneous conversation with you and this is challenging.

Upon meeting you in person, he couldn’t hold eye contact.

It was scary for him.

He was worried that by looking you in the eye, he gets thrown off in how he goes about conducting a conversation with you.

In not holding eye contact, he maintains his concentration, which facilitates him in keeping a conversation going and creating new topics as conversation-starters.

This is how he keeps himself from losing his train of thought or losing any form of control over his behavior.

He stole looks at you at times.

These were moments where you were walking into the location of the date and every now and then when you were engrossed on eating your meal or drinking your beverage.

In not meeting and holding your gaze, he is keeping control of himself and avoiding getting lost in thought.

This is strange to you, given how talkative he was when you were matched on a dating app.

There were expectations built up about this first date.

You were thinking about how amazing the date was going to be, and got a little carried away.

This is human nature.

This is especially true if you were talking to each other on a dating app for a long period of time before finally meeting.

Don’t be discouraged.

Lots of shy and socially awkward people sign up on dating apps to help them avoid the intimidation of meeting someone with romantic potential in public.

People like this have a tendency to get less tense as they keep meeting their date in person.

If his lack of eye contact was the only factor that turned you off on the date, and other areas of the date went well, it is to your advantage to go on another date with this guy.

There are good odds that his eye contact gets better as you go on subsequent dates with him.