The clinical term for an addiction to longing is going viral — and, in the process, losing its meaning
Published
May 18, 2026 1:30PM (EDT)
(Illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Harper Collins Publishing / Worthy Publishing)
Folks, hot limerence summer is here, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, congrats on not paying attention to TikTok. Maybe you’ve heard “Heated Rivalry” fans swoon over it, or Lucy Dacus sing about it, but you might want to brush up, because the once-obscure concept has officially broken containment. Google searches for “limerence” are spiking. Elle deemed it the latest buzzword in dating, and Momo Yamaguchi’s first novel, “Hello, Limerence,” is one of the year’s most anticipated books, heralded ahead of its August release in the U.S. as a more virginal “Fleabag.”
