STUDY: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, And Facebook Doesn’t Help

Breaking up is hard to do, and according to a study by the University of California, Facebook makes the process even more difficult.
Mail Online reported that the study examined 24 subjects between the ages of 19 and 34, finding that:

• One-half of them deleted photos and messages immediately after breaking up.
• More than one-third could not bring themselves to get rid of anything, and the remaining content acted as a “constant reminder.”
• The rest were selective in what they deleted and what they kept.

Mail Online also cited a study by researchers from Tel Aviv University, which found a direct link between psychotic episodes and communications on Facebook or elsewhere on the Internet.
Lead researcher Uri Nitzan told Mail Online the study linked psychotic episodes to Internet addiction and delusions caused by virtual relationships on Facebook and other social networking sites, adding that one patient became so obsessed with an online relationship that it led to hallucinations that the person was reaching out of the screen and touching them.
On the brighter side, Mail Online reported that a study by Western Illinois University found that couples who interact more on Facebook are happier in real life, with Prof. Christopher Carpenter telling Mail Online users who appear in more photos with their partner and tag each other in status updates reported being closer romantically, with the reverse holding true, as well.
Readers who have gone through breakups while on Facebook: Which approach did you take?
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