'Groundhogging' dating trend could be ruining your relationships without you even realising

There's a new dating trend in town and if you've seen the movie Groundhog Day you might be able to guess what it's about.

In case you haven't seen the movie it's about a fairly miserable man (Bill Murray) who seems to be stuck going around and around in the same day with no way out.

Over time he learns more about the people he's been ignoring, develops some new skills and falls in love with his colleague (Andie MacDowell), as he realises that he's got to do things differently if he wants his day to turn out better.

Eventually, love sets him free, but the dating trend of 'groundhogging' might end up being the metaphorical prison that traps you in the same cycle over and over again when it comes to your relationships.

If you feel like you're always getting into the same kinds of relationships and they're ending the same way it could be time to change your approach.

His love life only went well after he started changing his patterns (Columbia Pictures)

What is 'groundhogging'?

In case you hadn't guessed from the Groundhog Day inspiration, 'groundhogging' is where you get stuck in a cycle and feel like you're going through the exact same things over and over again.

While Bill Murray's character in the movie didn't so choose to be stuck with it being 2 February forever, when someone is 'groundhogging' they're choosing the same type of romantic partners time after time.

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Cynical weathermen trapped in the same day may be able to live many lifetimes and learn many skills but the rest of us only get one go around so if you get stuck in the 'groundhogging' cycle it's your own time that gets lost.

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (that's not the actual definition, but it's a pithy saying) then the definition of 'groundhogging' is dating the same type of people over and over again and expecting different results.

"Oh no, not again." (Getty Stock Image)

How do you stop groundhogging?

There's nothing wrong with you having a type when looking for a partner but if your relationships all end up turning out the same way you perhaps need to think about who you're going for.

The first thing you need to do to stop is recognise the problem, as according to Forbes psychologists reckon it may help to write down the details of past relationships, including qualities you're attracted to and where that attraction may come from.

Once you have a clearer picture of why you like a certain type of person as a romantic partner think about the sort of person you'd be wanting now and whether you keep going for the same sort of partner.

If your relationships are ending for a similar reason, if you keep getting into the same arguments with partners and what you might do differently in the future are all things to consider.

Another suggestion from the psychologists is to get out of your comfort zone and try dating people who aren't normally your type, if the same approach isn't working then trying something different might do the trick.

You can still have a clear idea of who you want to date, but bringing in some new criteria that would appeal to you could help you connect with different people.