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Situationship has been doing the rounds in modern dating for a while, with its undefined bonds, fear of commitment, misaligned goals, or simply because they got stuck in the "let's see where it goes" phase. Surveys show that 2 in 10 couples were emotionally exclusive to each other, but they feared committing to each other. But dating has matured, and so have the daters. The fear is slowly being replaced by clarity and intentionality. A recent consumer study by the Indian dating app, QuackQuack, revealed a noticeable change in dater behavior, with almost 3 in 5 daters above 25 claiming that they actively seek out clarity very early on to not get stuck in the never-ending loop of a situationship or emotionally invest in the wrong person. The survey was done among 11959 daters from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities. Participants ranged between 25 and 35 years old, from various professional fields. Almost 41% of them shared that situationship might have been deemed as a low-pressure connection and used as a trial period, but the risk of getting stuck is not worth it. Today's daters prefer intentional commitment over ambiguity, where the lines are too blurry.
QuackQuack's Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "We have seen the rise of Situationships, and now we are witnessing the fall of the same. As a dating app, we want our users to find meaningful connections, romantic or friendly. We have watched people going down the situationship rabbit hole, and it has almost always ended in at least one person getting hurt, if not both. We have always maintained that it's a waste of time and effort, and now seeing daters realize the same and making an effort to steer clear of vague connections with no goal in mind is very exciting. Match qualities are increasing, and so is the value of interaction among users."
Situationship burnout has replaced its thrill.
Daters from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities above 25 disclosed that hanging on to a connection with no guarantee of a future and just going with the flow might have had its charm initially, but the burnout of "not knowing" quickly took over. The constant guessing, mixed signals, and the great unknown are emotionally taxing. Amrita (27), from Delhi, said, "I was in a situationship 2 years back. The worst part was whenever I felt that he was chatting with other women, I couldn't even confront him or complain because that's part of the deal. It was sitting very heavily on me. I realized that having clarity and commitment, even if that took longer to get, is much better than whatever limbo this was."
Time-pass dating is becoming obsolete.
Maybe in the early 20s, dating is more about exploration, but situationship still doesn't fit the category. Usually, one person gets more emotionally attached, and very few situationships have ever successfully transitioned into a healthy relationship. 36% of users between 28 and 35 are now more conscious about how, and with whom, they spend their "already hard to find" time. Survey results show that about 49% of women and 44% are less inclined toward investing in connections that remain undefined and directionless beyond the one-month mark. Though not everyone is rushing to get married, daters still demand transparency and exclusivity. Casual dating is not dead; casually being vague and inconsistent about where it's leading is.
Past situationships led to hard boundaries.
22% of daters who disclosed being in a situationship once in their dating life cycle shared that their past experience has led to a higher demand for clarity in the present connections they build. Kirti, a 30 year old social activist, said, "Being in a relationship without the same feelings being reciprocated left its mark on me. I wish I realized it earlier and ended it; honestly, I got into it unknowingly. Now, my boundaries are stronger. I know what I want, and if they don't align, I am ready to walk away."
