“Exaggerdating” Is The Most Common Dating Trend Even You’re Probably Guilty Of

Exagger-dating is when you pretend that a date went much better than it actually did. There are many different ways in which it can play out. Maybe your friend exaggerates how her date really went because she wants to save face in front of you and avoid having yet another date that bombed on her hands, or your partner keeps telling you how lucky he feels to have met you when it’s really a cover for something else. Here’s everything to know about the trend.

1. It seems too perfect. If a person exagger-dates, then they’re going to take all the small positive things about the date and make them 100 times better. So, your friend who’s exagger-dating might tell you that not only did her date bring her a rose, but he brought her her favorite bouquet and it smelled amazing and it made her feel so special…
2. Or, details are sparse. On the other hand, a person who exaggerates their date might be worried about being caught out on a lie, so they’ll keep the details as low-key as possible. While this might just be the behavior of a friend who likes to keep their love life as private as possible, it can also be a sign of exagger-dating.
3. You might be doing it. You might be guilty of pretending a date went much better than it did. This could be because you really want the person who’s perfect on paper to be right for you, even though there are glaring signs that he falls short. Yikes.
4. It can backfire. Of course, exagger-dating can definitely come back to bite you in the you-know-what. You might pretend you’re excited about going on another date with the person you’ve recently met only to find that you end up settling in the relationship because you’re neglecting what you really need. It’s just better to be honest with yourself!
5. It’s a reaction to intense date pressure. One of the biggest reasons why people might exagger-date is because they feel pressure to find their forever person. This can make it tempting to pretend that they’ve met a great person, just so that their married friends can stop harassing them about it.
6. It isn’t just about dates. Exagger-dating has been around for a while, and it doesn’t just refer to the strategy of pretending a date went spectacularly. It can also be about exaggerating about yourself online to attract potential dates. For example, when someone you’ve started chatting to online says that they love traveling but they’re just saying this because so many people love to travel or because it’s listed as one of your main interests.
7. It’s about fake interest. In its most malicious form, exagger-dating is when a person pretends to have real feelings for someone. This can be done in an attempt to manipulate their date into thinking that they’re into them. A person who exagger-dates in this way might not be telling their friends they had a spectacular date, but they’ll be telling their partner that they’re so in love with them when they’re not.
8. It’s about being insecure. If you, or your BFF, feel the need to exagger-date in one way or another, it’s a sign that there’s some insecurity at play. Maybe you feel that you’re not good enough as you are with a “single” relationship status hanging around your neck, so you have to lie about meeting someone fantastic. Or, perhaps you try to fake it ’til you make it with someone in the hope of getting what you want.
9. Some exagger-daters are desperate. On the other hand, the person you go on a date with who seemed totally different and had more in common with you online might be exagger-dating because he’s desperate to connect with someone. This results in him lying about who he is or exaggerating details about his life to make the best impression he can.
10. It can be a response to awkwardness. Now, who hasn’t been in this situation: you go on a date with someone and they have a better time than you do. You can tell by how they text you within five minutes of the date ending, and they talk about how great it was to meet you and how they want to see you again. You don’t have the heart to tell them you’re not interested. Not yet, anyway, so you decide to tell them that it was fantastic to spend time with them and you had a great time. That is exagger-dating, so we’ve all probably done it at least once.
11. The truth’s gonna come out. No matter what caused the exagger-dating to occur, it’s built on a lie and sooner or later it’s gonna come crashing down and hurt someone. So, it’s just better to be honest and upfront right from the beginning, no?