Unless you are in the minority, breakups are never fun and they are rarely ever easy.
That spark which once drew you together begins to fade and heartbreak is inevitable, whether you're the dumper or the dumpee.
But how do men and women differ when it comes to dealing with the end of a relationship? Do they differ at all?
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Researchers at Binghamton University and University College London decided to look into the subject in their study, 'Quantitative Sex Differences in Response to the Dissolution of a Romantic Relationship', and their findings are fascinating.
They discovered that 'women experience more emotional pain following a breakup, but they also more fully recover', compared to men who 'never fully recover, they simply move on'.
Craig Morris, a research associate at Binghamton University and lead author on the study, said:
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Put simply, women are evolved to invest far more in a relationship than a man.
This is what he had to say about men:
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 realisation that the loss is irreplaceable.
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More than 5,000 people from 96 countries took part in the study, which was published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences earlier this year.
The participants rated their emotional and physical pain following a breakup on a scale of one (none) to 10 (unbearable).
Women were found to average 6.84 on the 'emotional anguish' scale contrasted with 6.58 in men.
The totals were lower in terms of physical pain, women scoring an average of 4.21 compared to men's 3.75.
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Morris also went on to discuss the painful side-effects of breakups:
People lose jobs, students withdraw from classes, and individuals can initiate extremely self-destructive behavior patterns following a breakup.
But as painful as the end of a relationship can be, there are lots of benefits to flying solo. Girl, you got this.
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And who could forget this classic Made in Chelsea moment when Spencer is outed for doing the dirty on his then girlfriend, Louise Thompson, and is slapped by Millie Mackintosh in the process.
Credit: E4
Amazing.
You catch Made In Chelsea on Monday, E4, 9pm.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros Television
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Topics: Love, Sex, Relationships