Decode These 6 Common Dating Texting Habits

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Texting has become a staple of modern communication. It has replaced conventional phone calls and earlier instant messaging systems. Texting has, in fact, become so central to modern life that common texting abbreviations have made their way into everything from social media to in-person conversations.

The dating scene has not been excepted from the increased focus on texting. Even as internet dating websites like eHarmony or Zoosk and dating apps like Tinder or OkCupid continue to grow in popularity, texting has remained an important part of young people’s dating habits.

Regardless of its popularity, texting is an extremely imperfect form of communication. It takes longer than a phone call, is less personal than a face to face conversation and is infamous for causing miscommunications, misunderstandings and fights when the wrong tone is read into a text. Despite these issues, however, texting is still the go-to form of communication among young adults, and many older adults have developed a reliance on texting as well. Given the prevalence of texting, and its tendencies to lead to misinterpretation, texts from a crush can feel like a proverbial minefield. What does it mean when he texts “what’s up?” after dropping off the grid for a week? What does she mean when she sends a string of winky-face emojis after a date? Keep reading to decode six common dating texting habits.

Super-Short Texts

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Everyone who uses texting with any semblance of regularity has gotten one of these texts. “Hey,” “miss you” or “sup?” comes out of the blue and leaves a person wondering how to start a conversation based on a single word. The response to a short novel about a fantastic trip might be “:)” or “nice,” and an attempt to make plans might be answered with “cool.” The person receiving these texts feels angry at the lack of response or baffled that their three night stay in Venice only rated a smiley face. So why do people insist on sending such short texts to their dates?

There are a number of reasons that someone might have single word answers. In some conversations, short answers are perfectly acceptable. There is nothing wrong with someone answering “text you when my flight lands” with “k” or replying to “is 6:30 okay for dinner?” with “sure.” Not every question requires a novel length response. The person sending the short answers might also simply be busy. Someone who is boarding a plan or leaving for a meeting does not have time to type out long messages on a tiny screen.

Super-short texts could also have a less innocent meaning. They could be a person’s way of fishing for validation or trying to get their partner to carry the majority of the conversation. In these cases, short texts could be a power trip. They could also simply be a sign of fading interest.

Late Night Texts

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Given that most people sleep with their phones on and next to their beds, receiving a text at 1:00 a.m. is enough to wrench most people out of their slumber. Sometimes, those texts really are important and worth the interrupted sleep. No one really wants to be the person that left their significant other stranded on the side of the road with car trouble. All too often, however, evening and late night texts are completely without substance. So, what does it mean when a person only seems to want to make plans or have a conversation after 11:00 p.m.?

The easiest answer is that the person on the other end of the phone is a night owl. If they never go to sleep until well after “late night” becomes “early morning,” they will not find it strange at all to text at midnight. On the other hand, the late night texter might have rather less innocent reasons. If the only time someone wants to see their date is after dark, the late night texter might be looking for casual sex instead of a relationship.

Picture Requests and Sexual Advances

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Every woman has gotten at least one request for nude pictures or been sent unsolicited sexual texts or images. Half the time, those unwanted close up shots of a naked man or requests for nude pictures are sent by men that the woman has either never met in person or only had an actual date with once. The same is often true of overly flirty or simply inappropriate texts. Many people who receive these texts roll their eyes in disgust, but plenty of people insist on continuing to send unsolicited sexual texts.

Despite how annoying such texts can be, they are among the easiest texting habits to decode. A man or woman who sends highly sexual text messages is probably not interested in a relationship. The texter is testing the other person’s boundaries to see how open the other person is to casual sex or at least a more sexual relationship. Unsolicited pictures send an even more blatant signal that the texter is looking for sex, nothing more.

Unanswered Texts

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An unanswered text is enough to send some people into a whirlwind of “what if’s” and panicked overthinking. Their beau does not answer their text immediately, and they begin to assume that their beau never wants to see them again.

It may sound extreme to some people, but others find this situation all too relatable. Problems can start developing in a relationship, however, when one person in the relationship expects an instant response to any and all texts while the other routinely leaves their phone in the other room.

Regardless of where a person falls on the scale, unanswered texts can leave a person baffled. A lack of replies, however, does not necessarily mean a lack of interest. Not everyone enjoys typing out long conversations on a keyboard half the size of their palm, and not everyone can respond immediately to every text. The person who is “refusing” to respond might be too busy to answer at the moment or in a meeting. There is also always the possibility that a person forgot that they never answered a text. Many text messaging systems lack a way to mark a text as “unread” once it has been opened. A person might well open the text with the intention of responding only to get interrupted. The text stays marked as “read,” and the person forgets that they never sent an answer to their beau.

Constant Texting

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The complete opposite of a significant other who never answers their texts in a timely manner is one who texts constantly, and the unending barrage of messages leads to a very different sort of frustration. A texter who is left waiting for a response may be irritated that the other person does not care enough to answer. A person who receives too many texts will quickly become annoyed by the non-stop buzzing of their phone as the text messages pile up in their inbox.

Constant texting can be a sign of a clingy beau. They want to be in constant contact with their significant other and loath any semblance of distance. It is also a sign that the texter is always “plugged in.” They keep their phone with them at all times and will respond to any text or electronic message as soon as it arrives. A constant texter usually expects similar behavior from their beau. The texter is always available, so their beau should be too. Expectations of this sort of constant electronic contact can lead to serious relationship problems, especially if one person wants a little more space.

Fewer Texts or Slower Responses

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Fewer texts or slower responses from a beau is another texting habit that can send people into a tizzy. People begin to wonder if their beau is losing interest and dream up bizarre scenarios about why they no longer wake up to a “good morning” text.

Text exchanges can slow down or decrease due to external factors such as a busier time at work, but they can also be caused by the natural progression of a couple’s relationship. When two people first start dating, everything about the other person is exciting and new. They want to know everything about each other and keep the passion building. This leads to long text conversations and lots of short flirty messages. As the relationship develops, however, the urgent need to learn about the other person fades into a more stable comfort. Couples may begin to prefer to have deeper and more meaningful face to face conversations less often than dozens of short, more superfluous text conversations.