Quarantine has caused many couples to weigh whether or not they want to move in with relatively new partners.- For those who have chosen to take the leap, many are reporting feeling like they are in a "turbo relationship" — or
relationships that are more intense and sped up than "traditional" relationship timelines. - Relate and eHarmony's new report found over 36% of people surveyed who are newly living with their partner said the last two months felt like the equivalent of two years of commitment.
- But "turbo relationships" aren't a new concept — the queer community has been joking about 'U-hauling' for years.
In late March, UK's deputy chief medical officer Dr. Jenny Harries told British couples living apart from one another to "test the strength of their relationship" during the pandemic, and decide to weather the storm in the same home or spend it apart indefinitely.
Three months later, "corona-cuffing" — i.e. moving in and hunkering down with a new partner for lockdown — has had a deep impact on the way some couples view their fairly new relationships, according to a new report.
Relate and eHarmony's "Relationships in Lockdown" report found an uptick in the number of people in "turbo relationships" — relationships that have gotten serious much quicker than the normally would, per "traditional" relationship timelines.
Over 36% of the people across the UK surveyed who are newly living with their partner said the last two months felt like the equivalent of two years of commitment, 63% said they felt their relationship was stronger, and 58% said they now want to be with their partner forever.
"In wider periods of societal unrest, couples often pull together," Relate Counsellor, Peter Saddington, said in the report. "The combination of more time spent together, heightened anxiety levels and the removal of common routines – like seeing friends – is an intense mix."
'Turbo relationships' aren't a new concept — the queer community has been joking about 'U-hauling' for years
While "turbo relationships" might be a new concept brought on by
"U-Hauling" — or when two queer people move in quickly after meeting each other and beginning to date — has been a long-standing trope in queer communities, especially lesbian spaces.
Dr. Lauren Costine told After Ellen that behind all the jokes and memes about U-Hauling (named for popular van company used for moving homes), it has deeper roots. Outside factors like homophobia, femmephobia, and being disconnected from birth families can lead to a need to intensify a relationship more quickly than what is considered average.
"We live in a society that tells all women being in a relationship is one of the, if not the most important life goal," Costine said. "Combine those two factors with low self-esteem caused by internalized lesbianphobia, and you've got the U-haul recipe."
A new lifestyle , and heightened anxiety, are intensifying everything, including romance
The pandemic has created a perfect storm for relationships to go from 0 to 100 in the space of a couple of months.
"Make no mistake, we are living in historic times, with a pandemic and the resulting lockdown having a profound impact on the way we live and
Relate counsellor Peter Saddington told Yahoo the shift in the way we're living now, coupled with anxiety about the virus, naturally raises the stakes, removing the casual nature of new relationships.
"The combination of more time spent together, heightened anxiety levels and the removal of common routines – like seeing friends – is an intense mix," Saddington said.
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