Some people move on so fast it barely counts as moving on. One relationship falls apart, and they’re already halfway into the next flirtation, the next situationship, or the next person who suddenly feels full of promise. At a certain point, never being single becomes a problem.
That’s the territory SELF explored in its recent piece on serial monogamy, a pattern therapists use to describe people who move from one romantic situation to the next without much real pause in between. Los Angeles psychotherapist Valeriya Bauer, MA, LMFT, said that even a short break can help someone rebuild independence and process what happened in the last relationship.
1. You date to avoid your own life
Bauer told SELF that dating can become a distraction instead of a choice, which is a trap many serial monogamists find themselves in. Instead of meeting people because you’re genuinely interested, you reach for romance whenever work is stressful, the breakup hangover kicks in, or your life feels unsettled. At that point, the apps are basically emotional Novocain.
2. You come in hot, then lose interest fast
There are people who love love, and then there are people addicted to that “new” feeling. Jennifer Teplin, LCSW, said, “They tend to move fast because it gives them that high.” The early stage gives you butterflies, distraction, and a built-in storyline. Then real intimacy enters the room, and the excitement starts wearing off.
3. You never fully stop pursuing someone
One of the clearest signs you’re a serial monogamist is that there’s always somebody. Maybe it’s a situationship, a talking stage, a rebound, or just a rotating cast of texts you keep alive so you never have to sit in total romantic silence. Leah Aguirre Barnes, LCSW, said it can feel like your body goes into “We need to do something” mode when singleness hits.
4. Dating feels tense instead of exciting
If every first date has the energy of a final interview, that’s useful information. Aguirre Barnes told SELF, “You’re going into dates with the mentality, ‘This has to work. It has to.’” That urgency can drain any fun out of dating and replace it with pressure and overthinking.
5. You keep replaying the same relationship problems
Teplin said that when people don’t take time to reflect, the same unresolved issues can follow them into every new connection. Different face, same argument. Different texting style, same insecurity. Bauer also said that nonstop dating can keep people from figuring out what they actually want, which is how the cycle keeps renewing itself.
There’s nothing morally wrong with liking relationships, but if being alone feels unbearable, that deserves a closer look. Teplin summed it up by saying, “We have to like ourselves to have a successful relationship,” and honestly, that’s the part no new crush can do for you.
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