Is 'Emotional Outsourcing' the New Relationship Trend?

January 22, 2026

I haven't been single for 14 years, and as you can imagine, the world has changed a lot since then. I see so many obvious shifts, from the change in social behaviors, to the increase in digital dependence....and of course, all that affects how people are dating too.

There's a whole new lexicon, for starters. Ghosting, situationships...and now, emotional outsourcing has entered the chat.

Dating.com released its Millennial Intimacy Forecast for 2026, and coined the term to describe a new dating trend. Here's what emotional outsourcing looks like: Rather than putting all their eggs in one proverbial basket, people may start spreading their energy across multiple connections.

Data from Dating.com backs this up: Nearly half their survey respondents said they'd be open to splitting their relationships, using one to satisfy their physical needs and another for emotional connection, for example. Enter: Emotional outsourcing, which may occur when a person is in a relationship, but has a digital connection they can open up to in different ways.

But…is this a recipe for disaster? I have a hard time imagining that things wouldn’t get messy in a situation like this, but as always, communication is key.

“The research found that 40% say having a platonic online soulmate while in a relationship is acceptable, and this is happening more every day. People are finding that they are not emotionally fulfilled in their relationships, so they seek out a person online with whom they have a strictly emotional connection. If both parties are on board, then it can work,” says Jaime Bronstein, LCSW , resident expert at Dating.com. “Both people need to be honest if they are going to enter into an online relationship while staying committed to each other.”

It sounds complicated, but the expert says this helps some people open up in new ways.

“I also see that many couples are in open relationships today than ever before,” says Bronstein. “It is becoming a very popular way of life for some couples.”