Unfriend your exes on Facebook, advices a new study

ISTANBUL

Are you friends with a former lover on Facebook? You could be damaging your health. According to a recent study conducted at Brunel University, as many as half of Facebook users are risking psychological damage by using the site to spy on their former flames, The Cleveland Leader, an online Cleveland-based news publication, has reported. Even though users may have initially joined the site to do something as innocent as look at family members’ photos, the temptation to stop yourself from keeping tabs on an ex when their face pops up on your timeline is too much for many.

Knife through the heart

Clicking on his or her profile to see the former partner embracing another, or even enjoying an evening out with mutual friends can feel like a knife through the heart.

Before Facebook and social networking, keeping tabs on exes was a lot more difficult, and required stalker-like dedication. These days, however, it is easy to keep up continual surveillance, checking on what they are doing, who they are with, and where they are. According to psychologist Dr. Tara Marshall, who led the study, it can make it more difficult to move on.

Dr. Marshall and her team found that those who remained Facebook friends with an ex experience more distress and took longer to move on compared to those who immediately clicked “unfriend.”
She explained: “Overall, these findings suggest that exposure to an ex-partner through Facebook may obstruct the process of healing after a relationship.”

Rekindling contact while being married

Furthermore, friending an ex on Facebook can lead to more questionable moves, like rekindling contact while you are married or involved with another. It may not lead to actual cheating, but is still upsetting and disrespectful to current partners, especially if done secretly.

You’ve probably had an inkling that it is not the best idea to friend your exes on Facebook, but now science can confirm that it’s true. Facebook friending former flames is only asking for trouble, so spare yourself the drama now and click “unfriend.”