Decoding 2025’s hottest dating trends: Nanoship, boy sober, astrology compatibility and more

No bakery involved here: “breadcrumbing” is a dating trend where one person can be thought to lead the other on by offering sporadic yet minimal attention or small gestures. This behaviour creates false hope and keeps the other person engaged without genuine commitment or intention for a real relationship.

Essentially, it’s a way to keep someone interested while avoiding deeper emotional investment—a bit like Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, where Bass frequently leads Waldorf on with unpredictable romantic gestures and flirty encounters while also pulling away, creating a cycle of emotional highs and lows that exemplifies breadcrumbing.

Newly coined in 2025, the term “nanoship” is used to describe an incredibly brief romantic or sexual connection. These encounters might involve intense chemistry but lack any depth and emotional investment. Nanoships are typically fleeting and might occur in casual or social contexts.

Picture meeting someone at a party, chatting for just five minutes—and then never crossing paths again. Or consider exchanging a charming smile with a stranger on the subway, never to see them again. That’s a nanoship—a brief, sweet, low-stakes encounter that gives you a momentary sense that perhaps the world isn’t entirely bleak. 

Do you ask your romantic interest for their star sign, whether they have an INFJ or ESTP personality, or what are their love languages, before a date? Well, Gen Z is certainly increasingly doing so. Indeed, in season 4 of the hit South Korean reality show Singles Inferno, some of the participants were shown asking their potential romantic partners about their personality type. 

From astrological apps to 16-personality tests, compatibility tools have become increasingly accessible, and people looking to date are certainly using them more. In 2019, dating platform Bumble added zodiac badges for its members, allowing people to list their sun sign directly on their profile—and it turned out to be their most commonly used filter globally, according to the app’s official platform. More recently, a survey by researchers at academic aid platform EduBirdie found that astrology plays a “significant role” in dating for 45 per cent of young people, with 31 per cent admitting they wouldn’t date someone with an incompatible star sign and 21 per cent having been dumped due to the zodiac. 

You might also like: Should I date a Gemini? A guide to astrological compatibility in love, business and life

“Loud looking” is a dating trend where individuals take a bold and assertive approach to dating, where they actively seek out partners in public spaces, making their intentions clear rather than waiting for connections to happen organically. In other words, it’s about being open about one’s desires and preferences in a more extravagant or attention-grabbing manner. 

It’s like in Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), where Bridget embodies the “loud looking” trend by proactively seeking out love, often in humorous and bold ways. Her candidness and willingness to express her romantic desires make her intentions apparent, drawing attention to her dating life.

With artificial intelligence developing quickly, young generations have been engaging more with virtual partners designed to simulate romantic relationships. These AI relationships often provide emotional support and companionship without the complexities of human interactions.

As technology advances, many find these interactions appealing for their convenience and customisation, but it also sheds light about the evolving nature of love and companionship in an increasingly digital world.

Nothing new here, but Gen Z are making this dating trend fashionable again. 

“Platonic romances” refer to deep, affectionate relationships between individuals that do not include sexual or romantic involvement, yet are emotionally intimate and supportive. These relationships focus on companionship, mutual respect and genuine care, often blurring the lines between friendship and romantic feelings. Platonic romances can demonstrate that profound connections don’t always have to lead to traditional romantic outcomes, emphasising the value of emotional bonds.

Just take a look at Joey Tribbiani and Phoebe Buffay in Friends or Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series to realise that love doesn’t have to be about midnight kisses and gazing into the sunset together.

You might also like: Celebrate platonic love with these 9 shows and movies

If this list made you tired, it might be time for you to go boy or girl sober. 

“Boy sober” is a commitment to abstain from dating and sexual relationships as a form of self-care, allowing individuals to reclaim their time and energy. This movement centres on prioritising personal growth and autonomy, empowering people to focus on meaningful pursuits outside of romantic entanglements.

While initially aimed at cisgender women, it is inclusive of all genders and sexual orientations. Popularised by comedian Hope Woodard, who embarked on a year without sex or dating in 2024, “boy sober” has evolved into a popular social media trend around that time, particularly among Gen Z on platforms like TikTok.

If you haven’t done it, you have witnessed it. You’re on Instagram, and someone posted a story of a cosy picture of a dinner set-up with two plates but only showed one person’s hand, captioning it with something like “Amazing night!” without explicitly mentioning or tagging the other person. 

“Soft launching” refers to the trend where individuals hint at a new relationship on social media without fully revealing their partner’s identity. It often includes posting ambiguous photos, sharing experiences together without tagging the partner or using subtle captions. This method is particularly popular among younger generations who value privacy and the excitement of revealing their relationship gradually.

READ MORE

The good, the fun and the ugly of the TikTok trend #WomenInMaleFields

Samurai culture, gender inequality and a quest for empowerment: Understanding Boys’ Love literature’s growing appeal

Tinder data reveals the top 10 international destinations where people look for love