Latest Dating Trend 'Fizzling' Is Crueller Than 'Ghosting' – Here's What It Means

Ghosting has given way to fizzling as a new dating faux pas, leaving daters wondering what went wrong and having a negative impact on their self-esteem.

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There has been a whirlwind in the dating world, and singletons can confidently state that dating in 2023 is complicated. From situationships to benching, Gen Z's dating landscape is anything but straightforward. Singletons have their own dating mindset, from commitment issues to having a certain type. While modern love rules the day, there are a few trends that catch our attention every now and then.

"Fizzling" is another one we jumped on. Have you ever heard of ghosting? It's when someone abruptly cuts off all communication with no explanation. Fizzling is similar to ghosting, but it is crueller and worse than ghosting. We delve deeper into the concept.

What Is Fizzling?

When your potential date begins to fizzle out, putting in less and less effort in the conversation rather than ending the relationship, is referred to as fizzling.

Replies become slower, less frequent, and shorter in length, making it difficult to keep the conversation going until the fizzler stops responding and ghosts.

Fizzling can happen over weeks or months at any point in a relationship, but it has become increasingly common on dating apps where communication is limited.

Some have referred to this as the more passive-aggressive version of ghosting, accusing the fizzler of being calculated in their drip-feeding of attention, putting their match on hold until something better comes along.

How Is Fizzling Latest Dating Trend?

The dating app Hinge has released a new report in which it analyses popular relationship trends in 2023.

According to the survey, 90 percent of singles want to avoid being fizzled.

According to the report, "Hinge's LGBTQIA+ DATE report reveals that this behaviour can be just as painful as ghosting."

"If a dater isn't feeling the connection, a text message letting them know is the modern-day requirement," it further added.

What Impact Can This Trend Cause? 

Rhian Kivits, a therapist, explains why fizzing can be such a painful experience. "The human mind has a negative bias, which means we often assume the worst in situations where we have no clear answers," the sex and relationship expert said in an interview with The Mirror.

"When a relationship ends, you may find yourself telling yourself that it was because you weren't attractive, sexy, or entertaining enough for the other person."

She further said that fizzing can have a negative impact on a person's self-esteem because it makes them feel like they're the problem in the relationship.