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A “thing,” a “situation,” a “special friend”—these are some of the words people use to describe a person with whom they are having sex on a regular basis, and spending time together in a way that looks remarkably like dating. But they don’t say “dating” and they definitely don’t say “In a relationship with.” Those terms seem to have fallen off the face of the planet—when you hear them, they feel like old relics from an ancient time. Casual is the name of the game today. It’s great for some of those individuals who always wanted to keep things light, but what about those people who are wired for commitment and going all in? Could this new non-committal atmosphere be altering them, and not for the better? Here is how this era of casual hookups and non-commitment is changing us.
Corbis
Nobody is allowed to want monogamy
If nobody feels allowed to say they want exclusivity, and if nobody feels entitled to monogamy or feeling certain that the person they’re with isn’t with anybody else, then how is anybody to realize it if the person they’re dating has become so invested in them, that if they slept with someone else, it would be hurtful?
