Posted on 08/11/2015 6:30:32 PM PDT by Gamecock
Research led by an evolutionary psychologist claims that women feel the pain of a breakup, both emotionally and physically, more then men.
A group of researchers from Binghamton University and University College London have collaborated to investigate the differences, if indeed there are any, between the way women and men react to the break up of romantic relationships.
Most of us will experience an average of three breakups by age 30, with at least one affecting us to the extent that it substantially decreases quality of life for weeks or months.
The rather unromantic, clinically titled study Quantitative Sex Differences In Response To The Dissolution Of A Romantic Relationship was published in the journal Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, and reported results that many will find controversial. Morris et al. questioned 5,705 participants across 96 countries to quantify the emotional and physical pain of a breakup, by rating it on a scale of one to 10. The answers given indicated that women had stronger experiences of both physical and emotional pain.
The female sample averaged a rating of 6.84 out of 10 on the scale of emotional pain, compared to a male average rating of 6.58, albeit this a fractional difference of just 0.26.
On the experience of physical pain, a difference was more marked with females averaging 4.21 and males averaging 3.75.
Craig Morris lead author of the study, applied evolutionary concepts to explain the apparent distinctions his sample produced, between male and female post relationship grief.
According to Morris, the difference can be explained by biology, and evolutionary incentives.
Put simply, women are evolved to invest far more in a relationship than a man. women have more to lose by dating the wrong person. 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.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.
A somewhat contentious conclusion, the extent to which such ancestral and primitive behaviours that are historical by definition, and not contemporary are relevant in the modern world is questionable. There are also significant factors that could have distorted participants answers, meaning they may have not been entirely truthful. Traditional expectations of masculinity and an inherent sense of bravado place great emphasis on downplaying emotions. The consequence of this may be much more conservative, less forthcoming disclosure about feelings. Not only that there is also considerable variance in concepts of masculinity and femininity between different countries and cultures that could shape and distort participant answers. Morris did add one caveat though to the research findings that gave females the upper hand when it comes to breakups women were more likely to recover fully and emerge emotionally stronger from the experience, whereas men never fully recover, they just move on. The loss of a high-quality mate for a man may not "hurt" as much at first but:
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.
Yes, men do mourn. That was just a phrase I heard years ago. We all mourn when we lose somebody we love.
Sexists.
I don't know. I mourned for substantial amounts of time, before I even thought about replacing. I think the amount of mourning, is in direct proportion to the amount of emotion expended.
This study seems bogus to me. My brothers are all “weepers” and my sisters and I are cold hearted in comparison.
The breakup is harder on the one who wasnt cheating to cause it
Sorry. I impulsively typed a phrase I heard a few years ago.
Yes, men do mourn. A good friend of mine didn’t smile for at least a year after the love of his life abandoned him. Another guy friend must have been depressed for at least a year.
The first guy never replaced. Yet. The second guy replaced a year or two later. But he did mourn.
Sorry guys. I thought it was safe to make a flip comment like that as long as it wasn’t on a Friday or Saturday no-date night. I apologize. Men mourn.
Regards to you and yours.
Glad you are still married to your sweet filipina...me and my filipina are going on our 13th year! Wouldn’t trade her for nothing!
Gee, people looked strange in the early 70’s.
I wouldn't either, although, many people seem to think that Philippine women are all very submissive. They are not. They do, however, seem to be content with letting men be men and women be women.
BTTT.
absolutely!!!!
I know, I thought it was witty.
LOL!
So what would it take? :-)
Farfetched.
Bayonne man charged with shooting wife 8 times after she filed for divorce
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3322520/posts
So what would it take? :-)
I don't know, a younger version maybe? 😃😀😂😎
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