Back in the day, sex and intimacy between two people usually implied that there was some sort of relationship, “thing”, or commitment between them. Unfortunately in today’s no-strings-attached society among twenty-something year olds, the signs can be a bit distorted and often lead to the big question of, “what are we?” and totally killing the romantic vibe. There is a growing trend in having casual relationships among people in their teens and twenties without any commitment whatsoever. While it can leave out the pressure of being “tied down”, this mentality can at the same time ruin the idea of romantic dating and love.
During your parents’ era, it was safe to assume that if a couple was kissing, holding hands, and seeing each other regularly, that they were considered “a thing”. Nowadays, one has to be super clear on what each person wants before engaging in anything intimate to avoid getting hurt because of the trending no-strings-attached mentality. One can be involved in all sorts of activities that used to be related to being a part of romantic dating and still not call it anything than just being casual or friends with benefits.
In a no-strings-attached relationship, there is no need for being considerate of the feelings and needs of the other person since you are not technically “together”. You are basically engaging in selfish pleasure without taking any responsibility for putting in effort or showing any emotions. There are no expectations for taking the other person on dates, being available for them, nor showing any feelings. The other person is basically lowered to being just a tinder swipe/booty call serving only to sexual needs when desired. That kinda ruins the whole idea of romance!
When it comes to this type of relationship, there isn’t much need for affection, availability, nor effort. This in itself kills the romance and any expectations of it happening. When one doesn’t plan on committing to a relationship of any kind, it makes sense to not want to put in the effort nor develop any feelings. However, that isn’t always the case for the other person involved. Because females tend to produce more oxytocin (hence leading to getting emotional) during intimacy, usually the girl ends up getting the feels because of the natural need to bond with their partner. This can also happen the other way around for the guy though! It is very typical for one of the people in a casual, friends with benefits relationship to start getting emotionally attached thus creating a problem when both of you are not on the same page.
Being in a relationship with no commitment whatsoever can lower future relationship expectations and standards. When all you’re used to is being with people who never made any real effort nor had any feelings for you, it can have a huge effect when you’re finally ready to settle down with someone seriously. The sad truth is that these types of casual relationships lower the dating standards and morals which can lead to a very shallow and disappointing outlook on romance and love.
No-strings-attached relationships kind of ruin the fun and anticipation build-up that one normally would experience during courtship and dating. The butterflies in the stomach when being touched or kissed, wild thoughts, getting all excited when receiving the text, and one thing slowly leading to another, is often rushed when wanting to be with someone just for a casual relationship since its purpose is mainly to have sex.
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