Hearing your partner say “I don’t love you anymore” can make your world go to hell in a second. It’s not a pleasant moment for either women or men when they are in this position. Even though both feel pain, a recent study shows that it is experienced differently depending on the gender.
Researchers from Binghamton University and University College London on the study involved 5,705 people from 96 countries. They were asked to recall their last break-up and the emotional memories associated with it. They were also asked to rate their physical and emotional pain from 1 to 10. 1 if they felt no pain and 10 for the most pain.
The researchers found that women felt the effects of a breakup more strongly, with an average rating of 6.84 for emotional pain and 4.21 for physical pain. For men, the average is 6.58 for emotional pain and 3.75 for physical pain. One conclusion could be that women are more invested in a relationship than men in general.
According to the opinion expressed by Craig Morris, a researcher at Binghamton University, women are likely to be more invested in a relationship than a man. A brief romantic encounter can lead to nine months of pregnancy while a man can “leave the scene” minutes after the encounter without any further biological investment. This ‘risk’ of greater biological investment has over time led women to choose a quality partner. Therefore, losing a relationship with a quality partner is more painful for a woman. On the bright side, however, the passage of time heals her wound and she moves on.
On the other hand, even if a man moves on with his life after a break-up, the sense of loss persists. It takes them longer to process this feeling and they may feel it more deeply. Bottom line for women. Women feel a stronger pain in the beginning but men find it harder to overcome. The more seriously they treat the relationship, the more uncomfortable it is when things don’t work out as they originally planned.