Paperclipping: How to Avoid the New Toxic Dating Trend

glamour.com:

, but if you're single, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the latest toxic dating trend, known as paperclipping. It's origins are sort of amusing: according to psychologist Dr.

Bruce Y. Lee M.D, in a Psychology Today article, the term gets its name from Clippy, the animated character that appeared as a digital assistant in Microsoft programs in the early 2000s.

But when it comes to romantic relationships, engaging in paperclipping isn't as harmless as accepting the help of a cute anthropomorphic office supply.

Let's get into it.The term has to do with the behavior of the character Clippy, who would pop up from time to time to ask questions that distracted you from what you were doing and didn't really help that much, which became more of a nuisance than an aid.Similarly, paperclipping is when a potential love interest pops up from time to time on one or more of your platforms to ask some frivolous questions.