People are only just realizing what "breadcrumbing" is.
Over the past decade or so, we've seen how relationships have expanded to include different stages of the process - from the talking stage to the "situationship" (God help you if you're experiencing one of those) all the way to dating and eventually, if you manage to survive all that, marriage.
While you might have thought that we'd have a better grasp on navigating all these stages by now, new things keep getting thrown into the mix, including concepts like "breadcrumbing."
And it seems as though a lot of people did not even know that something like this could exist.
"Are you guys aware there’s a thing called 'Bread [crumbing]?'" wrote one person on X, while another stated "what does breadcrumbing mean?" and after doing their own research followed up with another tweet that read: "Oh I looked it up, we shouldn’t be doing this to anyone. Messed up."
For those of you who might not be aware, breadcrumbing is a term used to refer to a form of manipulation - whether intentional or not - involving one person "feigning interest and acting as though they feel sincerely interested and invested in a relationship with another person when they are not," according to Dr. Monica Vermani, a Canada-based clinical psychologist and author of 'A Deeper Wellness: Conquering Stress, Mood, Anxiety and Traumas.'
Speaking during an interview with CNN, the expert revealed that some people find joy in doing this as it allows them to experience the "fun" parts of a relationship without having to commit.
It can also be linked to other things such as the need for attention, validation, or control.
"[Breadcrumbing keeps] someone from looking elsewhere for a more stable, reliable and real connection, and remain hopeful and focused on them," Dr. Vermani added.
In the digital world, where it's so easy to keep someone on a string via something as simple as a text or a voice note, or maybe even a photo, breadcrumbing has become a more common tactic used to trap people.
On the other hand, for a handful of people, breadcrumbing might actually be a trauma response as it creates the right distance between two people, or so they might think.
Those who are uncomfortable giving and receiving love due to past conflicts or events they experienced in their childhoods might opt for this option unknowingly as they have not faced their issues related to vulnerability and commitment.
But why does such a little act keep someone hooked in so deep?
This is related to a psychological principle called 'intermittent reinforcement' which is a seemingly addictive cycle of praise and punishment that makes a person crave those "crumbs" given to them by someone they are involved with.
Its rival tactic, which also causes a lot of suffering in talking stages, is love bombing.
I'm sure we've all been through one of those cases where the other person has said all the right things, given you a lot in a short space of time, and made you believe they are totally into you just by their superficial actions before suddenly disappearing - that is love bombing.
The official definition of the term according to Psychology Today is: "...An attempt to influence another person with over-the-top displays of attention and affection."
Whew, with all these manipulation tactics out there, we're all better off staying single.
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