Given the large number of young men and women living and working in Washington, D.C. area, I hope this article becomes handy to those who are just about to breakup.
A new study by Wake Forest University and Florida State offers new insight into the emotional effects of relationship strife on young singles, and is prompting discussion about the veracity of long-standing gender stereotypes. The survey was done on 1,611 single twenty and found that the support and strain of a relationship were more likely to piss off the man’s mental health than a woman’s.
I couldn’t agree more. I still remember when how pissed and depressed I got at the age of 26 when my first Brazilian girlfriend dumped me for her 53 years old Russian literature teacher back in college. Now that I am 47, I don’t blame her :-( The good News is I got over my depression and her after a week of going out with my best guy friend drinking every night.
The survey further shows:
- Young men benefit more than women from support, and that they are more harmed than women by strain in ongoing romantic relationships. For women, what matters most is simply being in a relationship, no matter if it provides more stress than support.
- Women typically have other outlets for emotional support, in the form of close female friendships, while men are more likely to rely solely on a girlfriend.
- Men tend to focus more deeply on the here and now. Women tend to think longer term. Their biological clocks mean they have time constraints men don’t. A breakup [for women] means the loss of very valuable reproductive time.
What’s funny, but sad, even though there’s been so much social change in this area, it looks like women’s self-worth is still so much tied up with having a boyfriend.
One last piece of advice to those who take the breakup hard, or any of you want your relationship to work, but not sure what action to take. I strongly encourage you to take a look at CouplesSpark before you put an end to your relationship. It is a free online site that helps you to reconnect with her or him using the power of social media.
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Tagged: biological clocks, Boyfriend, breakup, CouplesSpark, emotional support, Florida State, girlfriend, hurt, men, men vs women, relationship, Wake Forest University, women, working out relationships, Young men, young singles, young women
