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Lifestyle News

The Times of India

Lifestyle / The Times of India

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What is seagulling? The toxic dating trend keeping you emotionally trapped

Modern dating vocabulary keeps growing, mixing playful slang with serious warnings about how people treat one another. The newest term gaining attention is seagulling a behaviour where someone keeps another person emotionally close even though they have little or no real romantic interest in them.Like seagulls swooping in to grab food not because theyre hungry but simply so nobody else can have it, a seagull in dating keeps you on the hook to block others from getting close. On the surface, the connection may look active: occasional messages, the odd date, small compliments. But underneath, theres often no intention of commitment or real emotional investment. Its less about love and more about control, comfort, validation, or possessiveness.

28 May 2026 1:08 pm