After a breakup, the urge to know what’s happening to your ex is almost irresistible. We convince ourselves that keeping an eye on their posts will help us better understand the situation, find answers or fill a void. However, this habit is often more painful than it seems. Imagine: you open Instagram by reflex and, in a few seconds, you come across a photo of your ex on vacation, smiling, surrounded by friends or, even worse, with a new conquest. Your heart sinks, your mind races, and suddenly your day takes a negative turn. In reality, social networks are nothing more than an idealized staging of other people’s lives. Your ex probably only shows the happy moments, hiding his own suffering. But for you, the damage is done: you feel stuck in the past.
Scientific evidence: why it slows healing
Studies confirm what many people instinctively feel. Research published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking found that people who continued to follow their ex on Facebook had a harder time moving on with their lives after the breakup. Why? Because they remain emotionally anchored to a relationship that ended, making the breakup longer and more difficult .
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