Relationships

8 Signs You're A Serial Dater, Not Just Lucky In Love

by Nikhita Mahtani
REUTERS

It's clear JLo has discovered the fountain of youth.

Did you SEE her at the Grammys last month? If I look that good at 47, I will be SO thrilled.

Sadly, I don't even think I looked that good at 27.

I don't blame JLo for workin' it every chance she gets.

She's gorgeous, and there are obviously several high-profile celebs who'd LOVE to date her... But I think she takes it too far.

That's right: JLo is a serial dater.

From Ben Affleck and Marc Anthony, to Drake and Casper Smart – to NOW, Alex Rodriguez – JLo seems to be in a new relationship every month.

Serial daters always jump from relationship to relationship, but they don't realize they're doing it. They are instead under the impression they're just lucky when it comes to falling in love.

After all, they can't help it if they keep finding these amazing guys... can they?

But they don't realize they're the ones causing this.

They're the ones hunting for new relationships, and they're never truly happy alone. It sucks, because the serial dater has never learned how to be independent.

Constantly needing someone is the worst way to live because you'll never truly love yourself or be happy with your own company.

So, are you a serial dater too? Well, here are the signs:

1. You always have a potential love interest.

Serial daters may not always be in relationships, but there will always be the potential for one.

If you're always "talking" to a guy and considering if he'd be boyfriend material in the long run, you might just be a serial dater.

Or maybe you're just a huge flirt.

2. You chase butterflies in your relationships.

Don't get me wrong: Butterflies are amazing. That giddy feeling when you meet someone new is so great, and you almost feel like you're floating on air.

Viktar Salomin

But butterflies fade. And they're SUPPOSED to fade, because then, they get replaced with the other great things long-term relationships provide: comfort, trust and security.

But serial daters don't want that. So when the butterflies disappear, they do too.

3. You've ditched your friends for a guy.

This is such a red flag because it shows how much you value your dates over your friends.

For serial daters, their relationships are the most important thing to them. That's why they keep chasing them.

4. You think everyone who asks you out is "worth a shot."

It's nice to give the geeky guy a shot sometimes. After all, it's true that you don't know until you try.

But if a guy is boring, needy, entitled or obnoxious, it's totally OK to have standards and tell him to leave you alone.

Serial daters will date anybody who asks them out, and might even go on second dates with these guys "just to make sure."

But if you do this, you're just wasting your time.

5. You hate being alone.

This is one of the most important signs of a serial dater.

Serial daters CANNOT be alone, and that's why they find having a date or relationship so comforting.

This is really sad because being alone with yourself is one of the most freeing things in the world. It teaches you to be comfortable with your feelings and truly get to know yourself.

Serial daters will never have the joy of experiencing this.

6. You talk to several guys at once, in case things go wrong with the one you're currently seeing.

Because they can't be alone, serial daters always need a backup in case things go wrong. And of course, things always go wrong because the serial daters can only sustain that butterfly feeling for so long.

If you're constantly on Tinder or Bumble trying to find the "spark" with some random, you're a serial dater.

But honestly, give it a rest.

7. You've met your "soulmate" more times than you can count.

Serial daters are more into the IDEA of love than they are of actually being in love.

They find love to be a fantasy of romantic words and grand gestures, without realizing how much work actually goes into being in a relationship.

Because they think they want to find love so badly, they force it. They think every person they meet is the love of their life.

But once the initial romance fades away, they "fall out of love."

8. You don't have a "type."

Think Taylor Swift: She's dated Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Harry Styles, John Mayer... the list goes on and on.

These guys are all crazily different from one another, and so, it's obvious Taylor doesn't have a "type" when it comes to dating at all.

REX/Shutterstock

Serial daters will jump ship and try to date pretty much anyone, regardless of whether they're into the person or not.

If any of these signs ring true for you, you should take a step back and consider exactly why this is happening. If you're afraid of being alone, confront it.

Because serial dating is just making it HARDER for you to find love.