6 Times Of Year You're Most Likely To Go Through A Dreaded Breakup
You don't have to be a self-declared romantic to experience the devastation of a breakup. It doesn't matter who did the dumping or the reason for it, the relationship is over, and it hurts like heck — and, tragically, most of us will go through more than one breakup in our lifetime.
According to a study published in HHS Public Access, during a 20-month period, 36.5% of those aged 18 to 35 have experienced one or more breakups, and a 2018 YouGov America poll found that 58% of people reported that their breakups were "dramatic/messy." So not only are people breaking up often, but those breakups are playing out in true Shakespearean form!
If only we could predict when a breakup was coming so we could prepare. If we knew in advance that our heart is going to be splattered all over the floor and stepped on multiple times before it actually happened, then maybe we could manipulate the situation so it ends in our favor. Wouldn't that be the best? Well, now you can. Sort of. Thanks to research, studies, surveys, and feedback from dating apps, we know now what times of year you're most likely to go through a breakup. So, gird your loins, mark your calendars, and foolproof your heart.
Early January
With the New Year comes a lust for new things. People make resolutions (that they probably won't keep) and they take a look at their life and realize they have some changes they want to make. In some cases, those changes include finding a new partner. Out with the old and in with the new, right?
Whether you made it through the holiday with a serious, long-term relationship or just partook in cuffing season, by early January you're ready for something else. In fact, the beginning of a new year has become so synonymous with trying to meet someone new that the first Sunday in January is now the most popular day of the year for people to be on dating apps. It's on this day that people either get back on the apps after swearing them off or download them for the first time. No matter what dating app you prefer, all of them cite that first Sunday in January, also known as Dating Sunday, as the day for the most online dating action.
It's also clearing season in which cuffing season is coming to an end and people are looking to fill their time and life with someone for the remaining winter months. Basically, the first two weeks of January are a precarious time and whether you're the dumper or dumpee, this is a popular month to endure a messy breakup.
Valentine's Day
You'd think a holiday all about love would be free of breakups, but not in this dating climate! Valentine's Day is high on the list of days on which people break up. One of the major reasons for this is pressure — and a lot of it.
According to National Retail Federation, U.S. consumers were expected to spend $26 billion on Valentine's this past February, two billion more than what was spent in 2022. The same report found that 52% of people planned to spend almost $200 on either gifts, dinner, or other Valentine's Day-related celebrations. With numbers like that, it's no wonder that people feel a huge amount of pressure to bring their A-game to February 14. On the flip side of pressure contributing to V-Day being a big day for breakups, there are also those who end relationships because their partner didn't deliver on Valentine's Day which left them feeling disappointed and neglected. Valentine's Day may have become a highly commercialized holiday, but that doesn't mean that some people don't take it seriously enough to throw in the towel on their relationship.
Late March to early April
If people are going to cuff starting in late fall or early winter, then they have to uncuff at some point and that time of year happens to be when the weather starts to get warmer. Apparently, just a little taste of warm weather has people dropping who they're dating so they can go into the upcoming spring and summer free as a bird — and ready to explore what else is out there. Also, summer pretty much turns the libido back on, especially if it's been off through the colder months.
Not only has research found that sex-related Google searches peak every six months, meaning in the dead of winter and then in the summer, but the sun increases serotonin levels making people feel extra good, sexy, and ready for fun. So, while going through a breakup in early spring may be a devastating thing you'd like to avoid, if you take into consideration what's around the corner, you just might be better off.
End of summer
To quote Sandy and Danny from the song "Summer Nights" in the movie "Grease," "Summer lovin' had me a blast / summer lovin' happened so fast," but then what happened? They broke up because that's what summer lovin' is all about: it's fast, it's short, then everyone goes back to the real world. In the summer, people tend to travel more, sometimes for extended periods of time with either friends or family and in some of those situations you manage to procure yourself a hot summer fling that, if you're lucky, ends in an iconic dance scene à la Baby and Johnny in "Dirty Dancing."
Even if you don't travel far or for a long time, summer brings out the best in people. From longer days to more vitamin D, people are feeling the love in many different ways. But by the time the end of August rolls around and you start getting invitations to Labor Day parties, you know it's time to get serious again and sometimes summer love doesn't fit into that equation.
Mid-December
Similar to Valentine's Day, the holidays bring on a lot of pressure. While Valentine's Day may be about impressing your partner, holiday season is about impressing your partner's family — something that can have people shaking in their boots at just the thought. As much as your partner may want to become a part of your family and go home with you for the holidays, the stress of it can be really overwhelming especially if the relationship is relatively new.
Because of this, breakups are common roughly two weeks before the big December holidays. In some cases, people will get a head start on the holiday breakup season by ending things before Thanksgiving, but because December holidays tend to hold a bit more importance in regard to family expectations, mid-December should have everyone on their toes. But, to put a positive spin on things, a breakup before the holidays does mean you'll save yourself some money — money you can spend on yourself to help you through your difficult breakup. Ski weekend in Breck, anyone?
Any Monday
Not to shake you to your core with fear or anything, but Monday is a big day for breakups. Although it might be odd that one day a week is more popular for breakups than other days of the week, according to findings by Coffee Meets Bagel, the misery of Mondays spills over into how people interact with others, including their partner.
After a weekend of fun, freedom, and doing whatever thrills you most, come Monday morning you can all but hear the depressed collective sigh of everyone logging onto their computers or going into their office. This negative mentality and stress of getting back into the grind can make people more prone to breaking up with their partner. But, before you start panicking every Sunday night, the same research found that Monday breakups are more common for relationships that are already on the rocks.
While these may be the most likely times of year that breakups occur, it doesn't mean that these are guarantees. People break up for different reasons and at different times, so don't think you're doomed to be dumped on a certain day or that you should wait until a specific holiday to toss your partner to the curb. When it's time to let go, you'll know and what the date on the calendar says will have nothing to do with it.