Breakups Are More Painful For Men Than Women: Study

Mental Health News – A new study of online relationship support finds that men are more likely to experience emotional pain than women during breakups.

In a new study, researchers at Lancaster University analyzed the psychological and demographic characteristics of over 184,000 people who shared their relationship issues on an anonymous online platform. By using natural language processing methods, they determined the most common themes that came across each post by creating a map of the most common relationship issues.

In the study findings, communication problems emerged as the most frequent problem. It discovered that nearly one in five people found it difficult to discuss problems and one in eight people faced difficulty in mentioning trust issues in their relationships. According to the study, the most common theme mentioned by people while talking about their relationship problems was the emotional pain caused by heartbreak.

“Notably, the fact that the heartache theme was more commonly discussed by men emphasizes how men are at least as emotionally affected by relationship problems as women,” said Charlotte Entwistle, lead author of the study.

The findings revealed that men discuss their breakups more significantly than women and it suggests the stereotype of males being less emotionally involved in relationships than females may not be correct. The researchers even showed that men tend to seek relationship help in online settings than women.

“Traditionally, women are more likely to identify relationship problems, consider therapy, and seek therapy than are men. When you remove the traditional social stigmas against men for seeking help and sharing their emotions, however, they seem just as invested in working through rough patches in their relationships as women,” explained Dr. Ryan Boyd, lead researcher of this study. The authors suggested that the findings may help couples avoid the most common setbacks to romantic success.

To Know More You May Refer To:

Entwistle, C., Horn, A. B., Meier, T., & Boyd, R. L. (2021). Dirty laundry: The nature and substance of seeking relationship help from strangers online. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 026540752110466. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211046635