It’s no surprise that during the pandemic many people felt lonely and isolated during periods of lockdown and quarantine. Many felt the constant restrictions on movement with each new Covid wave were never ending. Couples didn’t want to be stuck at home and apart from each other so many made the decision to move in together making lockdown easier to manage. Enter the “turbo relationship,” a positive side effect of the pandemic where couples felt their relationship moved at a quicker pace than it normally would have done during periods of lockdown and where commitment milestones happened faster.
This podcast presented by Shira and Ryan discusses how dating has changed during the pandemic which has led to the term “Turbo Relationships.” (Audacy). The discussion begins at 0:33:25.
A Yahoo news report said it was unclear where the term “turbo relationship” had originated from but that it was used heavily in a report called Relationships in Lockdown produced by dating websites eHarmony and Relate. Couples’ counselors met with focus groups and the findings came from a “nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 adults” (Miller). This is what the report found:
Coined ‘turbo relationships’, over a third agree that two months in isolation feels equivalent to two years of commitment, and the same amount say they’ve reached common relationship milestones, such as moving in together, quicker. This acceleration has also led to more sex, better communication and the opportunity to discover new, shared passions.
Relate
The relationship website DatingAdvice.com published a list of dating definitions on April 4, 2022 which includes the turbo relationship:
A turbo relationship is like dating on steroids. It’s a relationship on the fast track on the highway to love. This relationship trend appeared more frequently during the beginning of the pandemic, when couples quickly decided to quarantine together rather than weathering the virus alone. With a turbo relationship, couples get serious super quickly, and often define the relationship by the second date.
By the end of the week, a couple in a turbo relationship may decide they’re a perfect match, confess their love to their new partner, and talk about a future together.
Spira
Watch the discussion below as Kulie and Yue discuss their own experiences with Turbo Relationships and ask some important questions. Are turbo relationships a good thing or are there drawbacks to moving so quickly?
Social Media Trends as of September 28, 2022
Facebook #turborelationship: people are posting about this
Instagram #turborelationship: people are posting about this
Google Trends: “turbo relationship” was first picked up in March 2020 when lockdowns began in the United States. The term hit a peak in July 2021 when the delta variant of Covid-19 gained ground forcing new lockdowns and quarantines. The popularity of the term began to subside at the end of August 2022.
Sources:
Datable channel. “Turbo relationships during Covid: do they work?” YouTube. 2021. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aOaHZrBWmQ.
Miller, Korin. “’Turbo relationships’ are on the rise as pandemic brings some couples closer together.” Yahoo.com. June 25, 2020. URL: https://www.yahoo.com/video/turbo-relationships-rise-coronavirus-pandemic-brings-some-couples-closer-together-205925280.html.
Shira and Ryan. “What Is A Turbo Relationship?.” Audacy. October 15, 2020. URL: https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/lets-go-there-with-shira-ryan-22293/what-is-a-turbo-relationship-347946309.
Spira, Julie. “20 Modern Dating Definitions Singles Should Know.” Dating Advice.com. April 4, 2022. URL: https://www.datingadvice.com/online-dating/dating-definitions-2.
Tristanpope. “Dating Before and After Covid.” Reddit.com. 2020. URL: https://i.redd.it/fm48jczgwpu41.png.
