Credit: Getty
3 min read
Love bombing involves excessive attention and admiration at the beginning of a relationship, with often troubling goals driving it – and new data reveals we’re googling the term more than ever. So why, exactly, is it on the rise, asks journalist Meehika Barua.
Earlier this year, I went out with a guy who told me he was in love with me on the third date. We had known each other for just 72 hours at that point – a fact that made his sudden confession equal parts flattering and delusional. Why would he say something so unrealistic? Did he think I would straight up invite him into my bed if he said he loved me? Do I look that stupid, I wondered.
By this time, though, I’d also had enough of these experiences to start noticing a pattern. I had often been curious why the men I dated behaved the same way very early into the relationship (I’m talking the first few weeks) when it came to showing affection – forehead kisses, caressing my hair and tucking it behind my ear, rubbing my neck for a few seconds. Then there was the excessive oversharing. One time, a guy from Hinge started sharing deep and personal parts of his life on our very first date, repeating how comfortable he felt talking about such things with me, and hence how much he liked me. He couldn’t wait to see me next. After a few texts the next day, I never heard from him again.
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