Dating in 2026 is nothing like it was a decade or two ago. People today have very different values, largely shaped by technology and social media.
Red pill dating tactics, for example, may be unfamiliar to those used to traditional romance. It is an approach purportedly rooted in toxic masculinity, which many women today experience.
This Threads user appears to be one of those victims, based on a screenshot she posted showing a seemingly harmless text from a man she had planned to meet up with.
Modern-day dating has become more complicated for many people
A woman on social media posted a screenshot showing how she had been struggling to find love
However, people in the comments had their suspicions and theories
“Red pill dating tactics” often involve manipulation and lies
Most people in the comments grew suspicious just by reading the screenshot. Some pointed out how the man overexplained himself with too many details. One person even went so far as to say the woman “dodged a bullet.”
The comments about “red pill dating tactics” point to an approach associated with online masculinity movements.
According to cult expert, author, and mental health professional Steven Hassan, these tactics have radicalized many young men to the point of wanting to lie and manipulate women. One way, he says, is through thought control and “loaded language.”
“Loaded language is specialized vocabulary that compresses complex ideas into emotionally charged phrases, making it harder to think critically. The manosphere is saturated with it,” Hassan wrote.
Then, there is the “dread game,” which, according to licensed therapist Dr. Natalie Jones, is one of the favored manipulative tactics of believers in red pill ideologies.
As she tells HuffPost, it is designed to maintain control by making the other person feel replaceable. Dr. Jones also noted that people who play the dread game start off affectionate, which makes their behavior difficult to notice.
“They start off very hot and heavy in the beginning, and then they switch up. That’s designed to make you step up and chase them,” she explained.
The man went into too much detail in his message, which does raise some questions. It is likely why the woman felt so off that she had to post it on social media.
And if she did decide not to pursue anything with the person, she may have done herself a favor. According to licensed marriage and family therapist Sammy Peachey, dealing with someone who plays the dread game is just not worth it.
“If you want a relationship that is likely to last, I would say that a partner who plays these games is not ready for a healthy, mature relationship,” Peachey said in the same HuffPost interview.
Another person shared a similar experience
But there were those who saw nothing wrong
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