THE NEW RELATIONSHIP TREND: “STAYOVERS.” “According to the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, an increasing number of coupled twenty-somethings have struck the perfect balance between casual dating and cohabitation. The ‘stayover trend’ involves spending three to seven nights per week together while maintaining separate homes. This relationship model is popular among college students and seems to satisfy the potentially conflicting desires to remain romantically attached while pursuing academic and career interests. The schema also appreciates the difficulty associated with splitting up once a couple shares a home.” But will this trend survive the economic suckage?

UPDATE: A reader emails: “‘Stayovers’ are also very popular with people that have spousal support that ends with marriage or cohabitation. Why not keep the safety-net of your own place when someone else is paying for it?”