While the dynamic you share with the person you’re dating is incredibly important – after all, that’s what makes a relationship a relationship – the way they behave towards and around others can tell you a lot about someone’s values and beliefs, and give you insight into how they might deal with situations which arise within your relationship.

“How a potential partner behaves towards others is key,” says Cathy Press, a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and author of the book When Love Bites: A Young Person’s Guide To Escaping Harmful, Toxic And Hurtful Relationships. “This includes their family, friends and colleagues, as well as waiters, shop assistants, drivers and people they don’t know.”

The way someone addresses those around them isn’t the only thing to think about either, Press explains. In fact, the dynamics they have with the people they’re close to – for example, their mother or best friends – can tell you a lot about the expectations they might have from a relationship.

Red flags: why you need to pay attention to the way someone you’re dating treats others