Why Do Breakups Peak In The Spring?

According to research, the “spring clean” applies to more than just the home, with breakups peaking during the season.

A recent article by Philly.com looks at why more couples split during the spring months, touching on a number of research reports.

Philly looks at Helen Fisher’s (from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and Rutgers University’s Center for Human Evolutionary Studies) research, which says that activity in the pineal gland in the brain could be used to explain spring breakups.

The pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin, which is linked to sleep – it is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light and helps to keep us awake for longer during sunnier days.

Fisher suggests that because days get longer in spring and summer, melatonin is produced less and could result in people having increased energy levels, optimism and the boost they need to do something about their relationships.

The article also touches on a study by University of Washington researchers, which analysed Washington state divorce filings and found that divorce rates rise in January and February, before peaking in March.

Facebook data analysis also found that breakups tend to spike in spring and summer.

The Philly.com article also looks at the boom that matchmaking and dating services see during spring and summer months, speaking to Master Matchmakers’ Steven Ward, who said that the use of the service increases in spring.

Ward said: “This time of year, we see a huge uptick of people who want to do what you can call spring cleaning. They want to clean house. They want to get out of a toxic, bad relationship, to stop doing what they’ve been doing.”

To read the full article please click here.