Men May Never Really Get Over A Relationship, Study

A study shows that post break-up, men suffer even as the loss takes time to 'sink in' and they need to start a competition to win a girl from scratch, according to theindependent.

While women get "emotionally hit hardest", men tend to experience more in the long term as they never really get over it. Researchers find that men suffer even as the influence of loss takes time to get into them and they begin the competition for a girl again.

Craig Morris, research associate at Binghamton University, says the difference is all about biology. Women tend to lose more if they begin to see the wrong person. Hence they would be quicker to accept once a relationship is done and opt for a new partner.

"Put simply, women have evolved to invest far more in a relationship than a man," Morris said. "A brief romantic encounter could lead to nine months of pregnancy [...] while the man may have 'left the scene' literally minutes after the encounter."

Hence, women place a higher emphasis on choosing a "higher-quality mate" for biological investment., according to glamourmagazine.

After surveying 5,705 persons in 96 countries, the study found that women tend to put in more emotional investment and experience greater pain than men after the end of relationships. However, the same requirement for a good "mate" makes women more "selective" about their dates, so they tend to pull in their social support system to find better partners.

However, as men are more "competitive", they feel that the loss of women they see "as a good catch could be deeply felt for months or even years."

"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 realisation that the loss is irreplaceable," says Morris.

As women lose more due to a wrong partner, they also pull out faster than men. Hence, 70% of divorces in the US are filed by women.

Previous studies have shown that the "same areas of the brain are activated when we feel emotional discomfort as physical and pain relievers like Tylenol can actually help relieve the ache of grief", according to shape.com