That headline is tongue-in-cheek, of course. But statistically, today is the most popular day of the year for break-ups.
Lee Byron and a series of his charts were featured on an NPR blog a couple weeks ago. Byron found that the most common day for break-ups is the first Monday in December, according his analysis of Facebook status updates.
Why this trend, you ask? Byron surmises that, “Perhaps some combination of seasonal affect disorder and a case of the Mondays has warped the idea of you meeting their family over the holidays into something horrid.” Ouch.
In addition, divorce attorneys and court records reveal that January is the month that the most couples file for divorce. An article from Psychology Today says it could be that couples want a fresh start in the New Year, or they made the decision long ago and wanted to stay together during the holidays for their family’s sake.
We don’t enjoy hearing about failed relationships, but even with all the breakups this time of year, we stay optimistic. As they say, every new beginning is another beginning’s end.
Grant Langston — Vice President, Content and Customer Experience
Jeannie Assimos, — Director of Content
Marni Battista — Relationship Expert
Monique A Honaman — Author
Dr. Seth Meyers — Licensed clinical psychologist
Sarah Schmermund, M.A. — M.A.
Facebook released some data last year that also showed early December as a peak breakup time. If I remember correctly, their correlation was that it’s caused by college students heading home on break, at least in that age demographic.