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Topics: News, Sex and Relationships
Niamh Shackleton
A neuroscientist has weighed in on some of the most toxic dating trends of this year (so far).
Any singletons out there will know that the dating game isn't for the faint of heart, and each year brings new dating 'trends'.
'Zip coding' was recently named as yet another trend that's seen an increase in popularity of late.
The apparent movement sees people set their dating app radius to a small number of miles so they match with people within their zip code.
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While it sounds somewhat harmless, there's a darker side to 'zip coding' and that's the idea that if you date someone within your zip code, when you're out of said zip code, then you're technically single.
The math isn't math-ing here, if you ask me...
Anyway, while that's one toxic trend, it didn't make it into some of this year's most toxic trends, as per data put together by Sister Wives and neuroscience BSc holder Dyllan Watkins.
Here's what they believe to be some of 2025's most toxic trends:
No, this isn't a strange new rollercoaster ride at Universal, but a dating trend that has been tagged almost 60,000 times on TikTok this year. This is where a person gives over-the-top affection early on and then disappears off the face of the Earth.
Speaking about this, Watkins said: "This new act of love bombing then ghosting could be a manipulative tactic that finds vulnerability in the other person’s attachment style.
"If one person’s love language is gift giving and receiving, the ‘love bomber ghost’ might use that to grow a relationship quickly and extract what they might want out of the relationship early on, such as companionship or sex. The immediate ghosting implies an insecurity with commitment, and could suggest a narcissistic personality."
There were 14,700 hashtags about breadcrumbing on TikTok this year. Per the Cleveland Clinic, this is 'when you give an individual just enough morsels of attention to keep them interested or hooked into the relationship (or situationship), without any intention of really committing'. Sounds pretty mean, right?
Watkins said that this can leave someone with an anxiety disorder which could then lead 'to a low mood and an apathetic attitude towards a partner'.
He continued: "This breadcrumbing of affection towards a partner won’t do wonders for an individual's self-esteem and overall well-being, either. An unhelpful dopamine reward comes from constantly checking to see if a partner has given a 'breadcrumb', and it can be addictive, impacting an individual's daily routine, amongst other impacts."
We have written about 'phubbing' previously, and while the term was seemingly coined last year, the toxic trend has still been making an impact on people in 2025.
You might not know what phubbing is, but it's likely you'll have experienced it (or have even done it yourself). The trend occurs when the person you're talking to snubs you in favor of their beloved phone instead.
And it's not good news for those who are in a relationship with a serial phubber, says Watkins.
"A study found that the more one feels they’re being phubbed, the worse the relationship tends to be," he said, adding: "This isn’t surprising, as phones act as a physical and emotional barrier to intimacy and connection."
Watkins went on: "The problem worsens when there are trust issues in the relationship, causing minds to spiral and insecurities to form around social media usage.
"This can lead to either controlling or distant behaviour from the other partner, both of which have terrible impacts on relationship health."
Like a submarine does, this is the idea that someone disappears from your life to later resurface — and it could be down to one person feeling a sense of 'power' over the other.
Watkins warned: "Ghosting and reappearing later like nothing happened might have its roots in power and privilege. One individual feels a sense of power over the other, and as though they can come and go as they please, because the other person will always accept them.
"This takes advantage of vulnerability, kindness and openness, ultimately leading to a pattern of rejection and dopamine peaks and troughs."