Dating can feel like the elementary school playground sometimes. One day you're in a close relationship, the next someone is swinging on the jungle gym with someone else.
So perhaps the latest trending dating term is fitting. "Monkey barring" might make you feel like that blind-sided kid at recess. The name alludes to how in dating, partners move from connection to connection, only letting go of the old one when they’ve moved onto the next.
The behavior isn't necessarily new, according to Amanda Miller, professor of sociology at the University of Indianapolis.
"I'm pretty sure this might be biblical," Miller says of when we keep a potential next partner in the wings. But the phenonmena is more prevalent right now as Gen Z struggles to find connections in real life and the rise of online dating apps, she says.
"Something where you can swipe and swipe and swipe seemingly forever makes it seem there's this infininite supply of partners, and there's not," Miller says. People monkey bar because they're seeking security, Miller says. They are avoiding the vulnerability that comes with leaving a relationship and being alone.
