Nobody — and I mean nobody — enjoys a breakup. But all those post-relationship tropes about women taking it the hardest may have things a little backwards…
In a new study published by the American Psychological Association, researchers at Binghamton University and University College London made some interesting findings in observing the way men and women respond to breakups. The group surveyed 5,705 participants in 96 countries (most in their mid-t0-late 20s), 75 percent of whom had experienced one or more breakups.
They discovered that women have a harder time post-breakup — on average reporting more physical and emotional pain — but that they're more likely to bounce back. Additionally, women are more likely to be the initiator of a breakup. Men, on the other hand, have a more difficult time coping in the long-term.
Women may feel more initial loss as a result of "biological investment" (i.e. child rearing and partner selection), but over time, men will have a more difficult time letting go of the ones who got away. Lead researcher Craig Morris told AskMen about his team's findings:
“The man will likely feel the loss deeply and for a very long period of time as it ‘sinks in’ that he must ‘start competing’ all over again to replace what he has lost — or worse still, come to the realization that the loss is irreplaceable.”
All is fair in love and war, as they say.
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Image: Rosa majalis/Flickr
