Breadcrumbing

Breadcrumbing, also called Hansel and Grettelling, is a colloquial term used to characterize the practice of sporadically feigning interest in another person in order to keep them interested, despite a true lack of investment in the relationship. It is regarded as a type of manipulation and can be either deliberate or unintentional. Breadcrumbing can occur in familial relationships, friendships, and the workplace, but it is more prevalent in romantic contexts, particularly with the surge of online dating.

In this context, breadcrumbing is an antisocial dating behavior, similar to ghosting. It is referred to by this name because it involves giving a romantic interest a trail of "breadcrumbs," small bits of intermittent communication, to keep them interested without committing to a serious relationship. This is intended to give the 'breadcrumbee" (the receiver) false hope so that they will remain invested. Breadcrumbs might include randomly liking posts or sending flirtatious messages and require little effort from the "breadcrumber" (the sender), and will often involve a demonstration and then withdrawal of interest.

Whereas with ghosting the aim is to end the relationship, breadcrumbing's goal is to stop a relationship from progressing by not fully committing to it. According to Stanley's theory of commitment, these objectives are not the same. This theory splits commitment into two different constructs: personal dedication and constraint commitment. Personal dedication encompasses an individual's drive to advance a relationship, something that may be lacking for breadcrumbers, while commitment constraint involves the potential consequences of ending the relationship (such as financial repercussions) that force a relationship to be maintained, which are also not present in breadcrumbing. However, Johnson's model of commitment does also include the idea of moral commitment, unlike Stanley’s theory. Johnson's model posits that individuals feel morally obliged to maintain and commit to a relationship, something that has yet to be applied to breadcrumbing.