Having sex to cope with a break-up, get over an ex, or get back at an ex is popular advice given to dumpees. Researchers at the University of Missouri point out that it’s not always beneficial.
Using a longitudinal study, researchers over the course of eight months interviewed 170 college students who had gone through a recent breakup. Participants’ weekly journal entries revealed that one-third of the students had engaged in revenge sex or rebound sex within the first four weeks of the relationship ending.
Those who were “dumped” and were more distressed, and those who were angry following the breakup had sex to cope and to get back at, or get over their ex.
Specifically, individuals leaving longer relationships were more likely than others to use revenge sex to cope with increased levels of stress and anger in the aftermath of the breakup.
The study also found that, individuals who reported having sex to cope with negative feelings or to get over their ex were more likely to have sex with a stranger and to continue having sex with new partners over time.
The study titled “Rebound Sex: Sexual Motives and Behaviors Following a Relationship Breakup,” which was recently published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior proved that “For some people, having sex with a new partner is a healthy and necessary part of moving on. However, the fact that those who reported the use of sex to cope with or get over the relationship loss continued to have sex with new partners even after eight months suggests that, for at least these individuals, this behavior signified a lack of recovery and an inability to move on.”
Lesson. Getting under someone else to get over someone doesn’t always work.
