Breakups are painful and almost everyone knows how hard it can be to deal with the aftermath. Everyone who has ever been into a relationship has either dreaded the thought of it or has gone through the experience of breaking up with their partner.
While people have a hard time getting over someone they love, there is a good side of breakup that's hardly discussed. For example, parting ways from a toxic and obsessive partner is always a good idea. It really depends on the people involved and the situation. It’s your choice whether you spend your time sulking or try to move on from the past. Moreover, if you don’t break up with the wrong person, how will you find the right partner for yourself?
So, these are some emotional aspects of a breakup that most people will agree with. Now let’s look at some fascinating facts about breakup backed by Science.
1. People may go through an identity crisis.
Research published in Personality and Psychology Bulletin suggests that some people experience identity crisis after breaking up with their partner. The more committed you are to the relationship, the higher will be chances of you going through this crisis. People undergo personality changes and become a completely different person once their partner leaves.
2. Some lose weight while some gain weight.
There’s no specific effect of breaking up with your partner when it comes to changes in your body. While some people lose appetite and go through weight loss, some tend to overeat and gain a lot of weight. It totally depends on individual nature and their personality traits. If you don’t feel like getting out of bed for days and spend your time eating chocolates, you may gain body fat. However, if you lose interest in eating out of despair, you may become physically weak.
3. For men, sexual infidelity is a common cause of a breakup.
Studies at Saint Louis University suggest that men are more likely to break up with their partner when they are cheated. It also mentions that for men, sexual infidelity is a direct threat to their genetic fitness. So, this implies that men find it offensive that their partner is preferring someone else to cater to their physical needs and treat it as an insult to their caliber and fitness.
4. Financial issues can lead to breakups.
A study published in the Family and Relations Journal suggests that financial matters like debt, income, or net worth are a common cause of creating trouble in relationships. Although it’s most likely to affect married people, even unmarried couples have to deal with financial planning which can lead to a lot of arguments and differences in their relationship.
5. For women, emotional cheating is a dealbreaker.
While men cannot forgive sexual infidelity, women are more concerned with emotional cheating. This doesn’t mean that women are okay with infidelity, but they would be more hurt emotionally. For them, it’s a bigger deal that their partner is making memories and taking care of another person while abandoning them.
6. Men take more time to get over it as compared to women.
As per research conducted by Binghamton University, men and women go through breakup differently. While the effect is more intense and painful for women, they get over the relationship eventually. On the other hand, men don’t show their pain openly, but they have a tougher time dealing with the breakup. They take more time to heal and may spend their entire life thinking about their ex. Men usually realize the loss in the long-term; once the feeling of heartbreak sinks in, they find it hard to get out of it.
7. You might lose interest in relationships after multiple breakups.
In a study done by Purdue University, it was found that when someone goes through multiple breakups, it wrecks them emotionally. After a point, they may lose interest in the concept of relationships. Moreover, they may even feel that they are not meant for love. They find it hard to trust others and cannot easily prepare themselves to get into a relationship.
8. Stalking your ex on social media can obstruct emotional recovery.
Stalking your ex on social media is never a good idea if you want to move on; even Science suggests the same. The more you stay connected with them on a digital platform, the harder it will be for you to get over them. So, if you unfriend your partner after the breakup, you are more likely to adjust to the situation quite easily. This fact is credited to the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
9. Heartbreak is similar to physical pain.
As per a study conducted by neuroscientists at Columbia University, your brain responds to your broken heart the same way as it responds to physical pain. So, when you get heartbroken after splitting with your partner, the kind of pain and uneasiness you go through is like experiencing pain in any other part of your body.
10. It can harm your immune system.
A breakup can make you sick physically. This is because ending a relationship is usually stressful and when you fail to get over it, you remain under stress for a long time. This causes inflammation and disturbances with your gut microbiomes thus harming your immune system.
11. It can trigger depression.
The Virginia Commonwealth University concluded in its research that breakups may lead to depression. They studied 7,000 male and female twins going through stressful times and found out that people are more likely to get depressed after heartbreak than the loss of a loved one due to demise. This is because being ditched is a direct attack on a person’s self-esteem and can be quite humiliating.
12. Recovery is faster than expected.
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology has found that people often overestimate their suffering. When your relationship is ended, you may feel like it will take forever to come out of the trauma but, you can recover much quicker than you expect. You just need to find the source of motivation, prioritize yourself and take care of yourself.
13. Writing a journal helps a lot.
As per a study, you can experience more positive emotions after a breakup if you keep a journal of your emotions. The participants in the study who spent 15 to 30 minutes daily on writing their journal realized the positive side of breakup and felt more comfortable, empowered, confident, and happy.
14. Rebound sex is real.
The research conducted at the University of Missouri found that more than 30% of college students engaged in rebound sex after a breakup. So, it’s not just a concept seen in films and TV shows. People do get involved in rebound sex when they feel the need to move on from a broken relationship.
15. Breaking up feels like ending drug addiction.
It’s a psychological fact about love that falling in love feels like getting high on drugs, and hence getting out of it feels like drug withdrawal. Basically, when you find love, you get addicted to it like a drug. Later, when your partner leaves and the relationship ends, you experience withdrawal from that addiction.