It Can Take 8 Years To Get Over An Ex, New Study Finds — Are You Surprised?

It Can Take 8 Years To Get Over An Ex, New Study Finds — Are You Surprised?

A new study has found that it could take up to eight years to fully get over an ex-partner.

Published in “Social Psychological and Personality Science,” researchers Jia Y. Chong and R. Chris Fraley surveyed 328 adults who had been in relationships lasting over two years. On average, participants had been broken up for five years.

The study found that “it takes about 4.18 years to reach the halfway point of dissolving the emotional bond to an ex.” While most people eventually felt no stronger attachment to their ex than to a stranger, “for a few volunteers, the emotional bond…was higher than that to a stranger even many years later.”

Factors like being in a new relationship didn’t speed up recovery, but “continued contact with the ex” and “very anxious people” predicted longer-lasting bonds. Notably, having children created a strong initial bond, but it faded faster than for those without children.

Y’all surprised by these findings?