The Science of Mating

Take our Are You a Good First Date?

Find a therapist near me

A "bless and release" entails firmly saying that you don't feel a romantic match between the two of you.

A "bless and release" also includes thanking the other person and wishing him or her the best for the future.

It should be clear, eliminate any guesswork, and save both of you a whole lot of time, effort, and energy.

A "bless and release" can be part of you taking more charge of your dating life and deciding what you want.

"Bless and release" may sound like the reverse order of what might happen with a sneeze. But on social media and the Internet, it's being touted as a graceful way to end a particular dating situation so that you can move on to others. Once you know that a person is not a good fit for you, you could use a "bless and release"—gently but firmly telling the other person that you don't feel a romantic match between the two of you and wishing him or her the best for the future.

The "bless and release" is about being clear and concise. There are even sample scripts to do the "bless and release" floating out there, such as, "Thanks for hanging out. But I am not feeling a romantic connection here. Good luck out there." Or "Good chatting with you. However, I don't see us being a match and........

© Psychology Today