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Hinge have launched a new feature (Credits: Unsplash/Getty)
The dreaded situationship can be a total minefield.
Are you a thing? Will things finally take off? Are you doomed to remain in limbo, only to be ghosted when they meet someone new?
Exhausting and time-consuming and utterly confusing, situationships are a modern-day dating phenomenon.
But what if we told you that there’s a way to avoid ever being in an accidental situationship ever again?
There’s a new feature on dating app, Hinge, that helps singles be upfront about their dating goals.
With 34% of Hinge users having found themselves trapped in a ‘situationship’ before, Hinge is now making it easier than ever to filter out those who want different things by putting dating goals front and centre.
‘Dating intentions’ is the name of the new feature that lets you give a heads up to whoever you might be talking to.
When editing your dating profile, Hinge users are now able to choose one of the following dating goals to be shown on their profiles:
- Life partner
- Long-term
- Long-term, open to short-term
- Short-term, open to long-term
- Short-term
- Figuring out my dating goals
This means you’re able to select which statement applies to you and like profiles that of people who have a similar goal, and dismiss those who don’t.
Dating can be hard to navigate
It also means other people will be able to filter out what’s right and wrong for them, in turn cutting down the risk of entering a situationship with the wrong person.
There’s another new feature that can help too – the ‘Backstory’ element – which is a new way to add a bit of detail to your dating profile.
With this feature you have the opportunity to express yourself in your own words thanks to the open-text option where singletons can type away.
Hinge’s new Love and connection expert, Moe Ari Brown, has shared their best tips on how to navigate the new features and put your best self forward while dating.
‘On your Hinge profile, focus on ways that you might see you and your match getting to know one another,’ Moe urges daters.
‘For instance, you might not know that you want a long-term commitment right now but you know you want to go on dates and explore the food scene with someone amazing.
‘Sharing this communicates clearly what dating consists of for you and leaves less room for assumption.
‘On your Hinge profile you might say in your Backstory, “For now, I want to go out on fun food dates around the city with a great person”.’
Three expert-backed tips for dating while figuring out your intentions:
Be transparent
Being open and honest is the best way to get what you want out of a dating app – or when dating in general.
‘I’ve found that daters want intentions to be clear in order to cut down on confusion about where the relationship is going,’ Moe explains.
‘You don’t have to have tomorrow figured out, but transparency is encouraged as it is the first step toward you sharing authentically with yourself and then ultimately, with a match.’
Being upfront can set the tone for your relationship
Communicate your intentions as they shift
Communicating well early on in any relationship is a must if it might have the potential for something great.
So if you start off by communicating your intentions from the get-go, you’ll be on the right track instantly.
It’s also important to note that your intentions might shift.
One minute you might be dead-set on something casual, but then your feelings could grow – and vice versa.
So if your feelings and intentions shift, ‘it’s important to be honest about where you are today and it’s okay if that is different tomorrow,’ Moe says.
‘If they do evolve, communicate any shifts to keep everyone on the same page and continue to build the trust.’
Remain flexible
‘As you explore your intentions and navigate dating, you may find that things you used to enjoy when dating may not work for you in this stage of your life, Moe says.
They recommend remaining flexible to new ways of understanding relationships and ‘releasing anything in the process that may hinder your perception about your needs, desires, and intentions for dating’.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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