Globally, women hurt more after a breakup, but men may never recover—at least according to a new study published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences.
The study—which was conducted by researchers from Binghamton University and University College London—involved 5,705 participants across 96 countries. These individuals were mostly young adults (average age was 27) and the weak majority (around 56%) had gone through multiple breakups. The researchers asked them to rate both the emotional and physical pain associated with a breakup on a scale of one (none) to 10 (unbearable).
In general, both sexes found breakups to be pretty emotionally straining, with a median and mean response of nearly 7 for both. However, women reported slightly more emotional pain: a 6.84 average versus a 6.58 for men.
The real difference, however, was in terms of physical pain: Women averaged 4.21, while men averaged 3.75—about an 11% stronger indication of pain for women.
Despite women apparently feeling more pain over a breakup, the researchers noted that they tend to recover more fully and become emotionally stronger for it, while men often never fully recover. Instead, men move on without resolving their negative feelings.
What’s the difference?
Some would say it comes down to differences in gender. It has been proposed that males have smaller networks of friends and family through which emotional support can be found, and they might be less accustomed to seeking that sort of emotional support at all.
However, according to Craig Morris, research associate at Binghamton University and lead author on the study, the difference between men and women comes down to evolutionary reasons.
“Put simply, women are evolved to invest far more in a relationship than a man,” Morris said in a press release. “A brief romantic encounter could lead to nine months of pregnancy followed by many years of lactation for an ancestral woman, while the man may have ‘left the scene’ literally minutes after the encounter, with no further biological investment. It is this ‘risk’ of higher biological investment that, over evolutionary time, has made women choosier about selecting a high-quality mate. Hence, the loss of a relationship with a high-quality mate ‘hurts’ more for a woman.”
Meanwhile, “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,” said Morris.
Or, in other words, if he liked it, then he should’ve put a ring on it.
(Image credit: Thinkstock)
Comments