Fizzling: A New Dating Trend That Is Worse Than Ghosting

People have started ghosting their partners in a more cruel and passive-aggressive way, which has become a new break-up trend and is even worse than ghosting, as one of the partners quits the relationship abruptly.

This trend is called “fizzling”, which is when a partner gradually puts in less effort to connect with the other partner and eventually that reaches a phase when the former stops communicating with the latter. The fizzler maintains some level of contact as an easy backup plan in case intentions with another party don’t work out.

Harms of fizzling

According to the latest data from the dating app Hinge’s LGBTQIA+ DATE Report, this trend is now becoming common on dating apps and a survey says 90% of daters dread being fizzled. The app is also committed to avoiding the dubious tactic.

According to the report, “If a dater isn’t feeling the connection, a text message letting them know is the modern-day requirement.”

Moe Ari Brown, Hinge’s love and connection expert, informed the Mirror, British national daily, how hurtful the fizzler technique can be on the receiving party. Brown said, “Slowly phasing someone out without explaining can trigger feelings of unworthiness, confusion, and self-doubt. If you’re not feeling the connection, remember another human is being on the other side of that screen – and they deserve closure.”

Therapist Rhian Kivits has also strongly described the major personality flaws fizzlers bring with them.

Kivits told the outlet, “The person doing the fizzling is most likely avoidant and selfish because they’re not responsible or secure enough to admit that they’re no longer interested in the connection. They lack care for the way their behavior makes others feel.”