Humans are hard-wired to fall out of love and move on to new romantic relationships, according to a new study by researchers in Washington.
The study also found that a man is more likely to end a relationship because a woman has had a sexual relationship with another man. On the other hand, a woman is more likely to break up if her partner has been emotionally unfaithful.
“Our review of the literature suggests that we have a mechanism in our brains designed by natural selection to pull us through a very tumultuous time in our lives,” said Brian Boutwell, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Saint Louis University.
Boutwell and his colleagues examined the process of falling out of love and breaking up and moving on to develop a new romantic relationship.
They found men and women might break up for different reasons.
For evolutionary reasons, men are wired to try and avoid raising children that are not genetically their own, the researchers said.
Natural selection has designed females to avoid the loss of resources, such as help in raising a child and physical protection, that their mates provide.
Brain imaging studies of men and women who claimed to be deeply in love also provided important clues about dealing with breakups, researchers said.
Functional MRIs showed an increase in neural activity in the parts of the brain - the pleasure areas - that also become active with cocaine use, researchers said.
Falling out of love, Boutwell said, might be compared to asking a cocaine addict to break his or her habit.
“A person might initially pursue their old mate - in an attempt to win back their affection. However, if pursuit is indeed fruitless, then the brain may act to correct certain emotions and behaviours, paving the way for people to become attracted to new mates and form new relationships,” he said.