Breaking up is never easy.
Even if it’s your call, there’s heartache, mixed emotions and nine times out of ten, a fear that maybe you’re not doing the right thing.
Then, a month or two passes and you find yourself slowly wandering onto their Facebook page having a snoop.
Stalking your ex on Facebook is unfortunately a habit you might think you need in order to survive your new single life.
Have they moved on? Do they look better? Is that girl in the snap their new little spoon?
Is she better than me?
(We’re kidding, we swear).
Well, ladies, you’re not alone.
A new survey looking at the habits of women on Facebook between the ages of 18 and 42 found that the vast majority have admitted to stalking an ex on the social networking site.
(We’re just going to say it… they probably didn’t need to do a survey to work that one out).
What is more telling is the reasons for typing those initials into a search bar.
The researchers determined that you were more likely to start snooping on your ex if you felt the most anxiety during the break-up, and felt you were more committed to your ex than they ever were to you.
Those who also believed they were the caregiver in their relationship were more likely to dwell on their exes on social media.
The study explained:
“Commitment predicted emotional distress after the breakup. Distress predicted partner monitoring immediately following the breakup, particularly for those who did not initiate the breakup, as well as current partner monitoring.”
Unfortunately, the only way to ditch this habit is to cut all contact and delete your ex from that friends list.
Not sure if you’re ready to bite the ‘delete’ button bullet?
Researchers suggest hiding the feed from your timeline to wean yourself off the need to search the person.
“Just knowing you can should help curb the tendencies, while you get used to not checking in on them.”
They always say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Just make sure you cut enough ties that you can let those feelings start to fade.
H/T Women’s Health
