What is fizzling? This new dating trend is the less painful version of ghosting
While most people have been ghosted once or twice in their dating lives – when the person you’re dating seemingly drops off the face of the planet – have you ever been a victim of 'fizzling'?
Fizzling is a new dating term to describe ghosting’s more passive-aggressive cousin.
It happens when the person you’re dating becomes slower and shorter in replying to messages before they stop responding completely.
Read more: This year's top dating trends include 'ethical sex-ploration' and 'open casting'
While it may not be as harsh as ghosting, fizzling can also be upsetting, especially if you thought you had a connection with this person.
“Slowly phasing someone out without offering an explanation can trigger feelings of unworthiness, confusion and self-doubt,” according to Moe Ari Brown, Hinge’s love and connection expert, who worked on the dating app's new LGBTQIA+ Date Report.
“If you’re not feeling the connection, remember there’s another human being on the other side of that screen – and they deserve closure.”
According to the report, 90% of the 14,000 daters Hinge surveyed said that they don’t want someone to fizzle them while dating.
Instead, Hinge says it’s best to be direct and send them a text message as the survey found that daters are 13 times more likely to prefer being dumped by text than over the phone.
Read more: 'Online dating is lethal for the soul,' says author who has vowed never to do it again
Elsewhere in the survey, the LGBTQIA+ daters revealed their preferred dos and don’ts when it comes to a first date conversation.
Asking questions was the biggest green flag and preferred by the majority of daters, along with talking about your future ambitions and talking about your values.
"Asking questions shows that someone’s interested in getting to know you, and getting to know what’s important to you and what your values are," says relationship counsellor at Relate, Ammanda Major.
"Equally, if you're on a first date it's important to remember that this isn't a one-way conversation. You need to be showing an interest in the person who's asking you questions because it's likely that they'll want you to show an interest in them as well."
Read more: What to talk about on a first date – and topics to avoid
However, some of the things those surveyed agreed that you shouldn’t discuss on a first date included lingering on your past, suggesting travel plans (you should wait until after your fifth date for this one), and only talking about yourself.
Watch: What is pivo-dating?
