Situationships explained: A modern form of commitment-free couplehood?

Being in a relationship, without really being in one… that’s the intentionally blurry concept of a ‘situationship.’ This ‘hassle-free’ relationship occupies a gray area between friendship and love. But if a ‘situationship’ lasts over a long period, one of the partners often suffers.

You’re probably familiar with the term ‘friendzone,’ meaning a friendship that will not turn into a love relationship. But in some cases, the boundary between friendship and love is less clear and turns into a grey zone. Some call it a ‘situationship,’ a combination of the words ‘situation and ‘relationship.’ On the social network TikTok, the hashtag #situationship has accumulated more than 1.5 billion views. 

A situationship can be characterized as a hassle-free relationship, where two partners have no conditions defining what binds them. Between friendship, love and casual relationship, it’s not about a commitment but rather about living in the moment.

However, with time, it’s natural that relationships progress; as more experiences are shared, the setup can seem to increasingly resemble that of a more traditional couple. After a while, with two individuals spending a lot of time together, having intimate relations but still with no question of commitment, this can lead to frustration and hurt for one of the partners.

To find out if you’re in this type of relationship, it’s important to take stock of what you’re experiencing with your partner.

On her Instagram account, Hansaji Yogendra advises thinking about what you want out of the relationship, then making a list of your priorities and seeing if your relationship fits with them. If it doesn’t, “be ok with the idea that you may have [to] let this one go,” she writes.

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