But according to Jessica Bennett, a writer for The New York Times, there's a new trend in town, and you're not gonna like it.
'Breadcrumbing' is the act of keeping someone on the hook and making them think you're interested, just in case they might be useful in the future.
The way you do this is by sending the odd message here and there - just when they think you've forgotten about them. But the kicker is really that breadcrumbers are so non-committal that when it comes to setting up a date, they're almost always reluctant.
Bennett spoke to Rachel Simmons, and author and leadership coach at Smith College, who said, “It really is a cousin of the ‘friend zone'. It’s about relegating a person to a particular dead end, but one that still keeps them hanging on in some way.”
But it's not just limited to dating - it could be a recruiter teasing you with a job opportunity but never following up, or a friend who is the definition of flaky.
So online daters, beware!
