January 01, 2014
Tis the Season For...A Breakup?
Oh the holidays...with friends and family, lots of good food, and heartfelt gift giving. But according to the Economist...its also the season for breakups as much as it is for engagements. The sad thing is though...most of those breakups are for (usually) one reason. Money.
Trolling facebook status', the Economist found that the phrase, "we broke up because" is more popular in the two weeks leading up the Christmas than at any other time of the year although Spring Break Came in a close second. The Economist postulates that the surge in breakups during the Holidays can be explained in economic theories that illustrate how we behave when it is difficult to observe the intentions of others.
Put in simple terms: envision yourself out gift shopping for your significant other. The relationship that you are in requires time and energy and if you are wholly committed to the relationship you understand the needs and desires of your romantic partner and the gift buying goes easily. Consider an unhappy couple or one that doesn't know just how they or the other person is committed to the relationship. Couples that breakup might be finding themselves unwilling to shell out the cash or time to send the right signals that they are invested. Or they might find that the other person isn't sending the signals one would expect from a happy partner who cares about the relationship.
While looking at the graph above it isn't hard to accept much of what the economist states as quite compelling. After all, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and birthdays are the three biggest times of the year for couples in relationships and happen to also be the most expensive as far as gifts are concerned. Christmas and Valentine's Day require effort and planning and when your heart just isn't invested in the relationship its hard to find the reasons to continue the relationship through another holiday season.
Wouldn't it just be simpler to break things off when you don't feel like the person is right for you instead of waiting till right before a holiday...wouldn't that just be kinder instead of waiting it out until you have to shell out cash to prove your level of devotion?
Trolling facebook status', the Economist found that the phrase, "we broke up because" is more popular in the two weeks leading up the Christmas than at any other time of the year although Spring Break Came in a close second. The Economist postulates that the surge in breakups during the Holidays can be explained in economic theories that illustrate how we behave when it is difficult to observe the intentions of others.
Put in simple terms: envision yourself out gift shopping for your significant other. The relationship that you are in requires time and energy and if you are wholly committed to the relationship you understand the needs and desires of your romantic partner and the gift buying goes easily. Consider an unhappy couple or one that doesn't know just how they or the other person is committed to the relationship. Couples that breakup might be finding themselves unwilling to shell out the cash or time to send the right signals that they are invested. Or they might find that the other person isn't sending the signals one would expect from a happy partner who cares about the relationship.
While looking at the graph above it isn't hard to accept much of what the economist states as quite compelling. After all, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and birthdays are the three biggest times of the year for couples in relationships and happen to also be the most expensive as far as gifts are concerned. Christmas and Valentine's Day require effort and planning and when your heart just isn't invested in the relationship its hard to find the reasons to continue the relationship through another holiday season.
Wouldn't it just be simpler to break things off when you don't feel like the person is right for you instead of waiting till right before a holiday...wouldn't that just be kinder instead of waiting it out until you have to shell out cash to prove your level of devotion?