Casual romance is often defined by companionship without commitment—enjoying the present, not planning the future. For many casual partners, flexibility means freedom, and when it comes to commitment, less is more. But in many cases, one of the dating partners begins to develop deeper feelings and a desire to take the relationship to the next level. Not wanting to scare off a noncommitted partner, how does one explore the possibility of permanence? Fortunately, studies have explored the factors that determine whether and when a couple decides to move a relationship to the next level. Research explains.

M.R. Langlais et al. (2025) examined the field of romantic non-commitment in a piece labeled “Are Situationships Situational?”[i] They note that situationships have been described in lay literature as “emotional connections with someone without the label of boyfriend or girlfriend,” and empirically as relationships with romantic connection, including physical

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