PH
Why do some couples repeatedly break up and reunite?
Researchers surveyed 274 people who had experienced an on-again/off-again relationship.
Lingering feelings were one of the major reasons people returned.
But uncertainty about what the previous breakup actually meant was also related to relationship renewal.
People who hadn't dated anyone else after the breakup were also more likely to report getting back together.
Sometimes reconciliation happens because the ending never felt completely settled—not because the original problems disappeared.
© The Journal of Social Psychology