While psychologists discuss how the format of modern relations has changed over the past decade, how it has been influenced by social networks and various dating applications for meeting single women online like Tinder, we are studying trending terminology. First, to be “on the topic” and be able to maintain small talk. And secondly, to understand what it means when a new acquaintance suddenly stops responding to messages, and what have ghosts and zombies got to do with it.
Situationship or situational relationships are almost real relationships, but they are not. Yes, in a situational relationship, you can communicate a lot, discuss emotional topics and have sex, but it’s all kind of informal.
Let’s move on to more strategic terms. Cushioning – denotes a flirting correspondence with a person whom, in principle, you can consider as the second option, but at the same time you are already dating someone. Cushioning can last for a very long time, maintaining the degree of flirting, but keeping a distance so that if something happens, you can make excuses – “it’s just a correspondence, nothing serious.” Sooner or later, cushioning is interrupted, while the flirting preceding the end of the communication is precisely the “cushion” that should soften the blow of breaking up.
Benching. This term is similar to the previous one, and means to be on the bench. Unlike cushioning, benching is usually practiced by those outside a formal relationship, but there are several potentially interesting options on the horizon. So, until a person has decided who exactly they are ready to approach with more serious intentions, they “bench” one or even several potential partners by giving them false hopes via online chats.
Another meaning close to the previous two, denoting an even more meaningless action. Breadcrumbing does not even mean maintaining a constant romantic interest, but its sudden outbursts with chaotic periodicity without any continuation of communication. Either a couple of cute messages on Facebook or a flirting compliment on Instagram – a scattering of small “crumbs” just to maintain their own significance.
You definitely know what ghosting is! Ghosting is when you do not return calls and messages with an offer to meet or go on a date instead of telling a person directly that for one reason or another you do not want to see them. By the way, hosting is now actively discussed not only in dating. In modern psychology, this term is applicable in communication in general: with friends, colleagues, parents.
The cuffing season lasts from September to March or from October to May (there are differences on this issue based on the climate of different countries). But in general, this is the most favorable time when everyone wants to find a couple by all means, so that there is someone to spend lonely winter evenings with and not fall asleep in a cold bed.
Cockfishing is the same catfishing, only with fake intimate photos. Yes, some guys think it’s a good idea for some reason to send a girl a photo of their most intimate body parts. But even for these purposes, they take pictures not of their own penis, but those downloaded from the Internet or “real” photos that came to them from the phone of their sister or ex-girlfriend.