The dating game has changed a lot in the past ten years thanks to apps like Tinder and Bumble.
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Finding new people has almost become too easy and as a result, trends such as ghosting and benching have arisen to make the dating battlefield that little bit more difficult.
But if you thought you’d seen it all, think again because there’s a new trend in town called love bombing. It’s basically a truly awful dating technique that is mostly used by dickhead men who are looking to get it in and they do so by throwing a bunch of love bombs on a date to distract them.
According to Dr Dale Archer from Psychology Today, to get love bombed means to get showed with attention, gifts, gestures of affection and promises of a relationship right from the moment you start dating someone.
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The idea is that the person is so overwhelmed with romance and the promise of a fresh new relationship that they’re probably going to ignore that the person is an absolute dick. Not only does this mean that the love bomber is going to get laid pretty quick, but Archer adds that it means they are then able to act like a knob, knowing full well that their date is going to accept the behaviour thanks to the previous efforts. If the partner points out that the love bomber has stopped acting kind, messaging or putting their feelings first, they can just remind them of all the times they were nice. It’s a weird world we’re living in.
In extreme cases, this is actually a form of an abusive relationship, as the love bomber creates a reward and punishment system. The early warning signs of love bombing include speeding into commitment, rushed trust and talking about the future early – these things are meant to take time.
If you think you’ve been love bombed, just be wary about your new date and try to find out a bit more about them from their friends and previous relationships. It might just save you from getting yourself in too deep with a seriously awful person – like this guy, for example.
