
There's no psychological rule saying you need to wait a certain number of minutes or hours before replying to someone you like.
Research on relationships emphasizes perceived responsiveness—feeling that another person understands, cares about, and responds to you—as important for intimacy.
Deliberately delaying every reply can sometimes create unnecessary uncertainty rather than attraction.
Of course, nobody needs to be constantly available either.
Healthy interest doesn't require pretending you're less interested than you actually are.
© University of Rochester