India, Sept. 10 -- Dating in 2026 apparently comes with its own vocabulary. From trying to smell more attractive to deliberately becoming harder to read - or deciding to skip dating altogether - Gen Z is attaching "maxxing" to almost every aspect of attraction.

The broader maxxing phenomenon is growing fast. Social-media mentions of maxxing terms rose 96% between January and May 2026, while engagement jumped 208%, according to Meltwater. Its analysis found 36% of sampled maxxing posts were appearance-related, suggesting the term has moved well beyond its original looksmaxxing roots.

Here are some of the dating-related maxxings currently doing the rounds:

The newest and perhaps strangest dating hack: don't shower before the date. Pherom...