Why does a “situationship” hurt just as much as a real relationship, sometimes even more?
And why do we keep thinking about someone who never fully chose us?

Psychological research shows that it’s not the label of the relationship that determines the pain…
it’s the attachment, the uncertainty, and the lack of closure.

In this episode, I explore the science behind breakups and situationships—
from Attachment Theory to neuroscience,
and why your brain reacts to emotional loss almost like physical pain.

If you’ve ever asked yourself
“Why can’t I let go?”
this episode might give you an answer.

#BreakupPsychology
#Situationship
#AttachmentTheory
#PsychologyResearch
#RelationshipScience
#EmotionalPain
#MentalHealthAwareness
#Neuroscience
#LoveAndLoss
#SelfAwareness
#HealingJourney
#InnerWork
#PsychologyPodcast
#HumanBehavior
#TraumaAndAttachment
#EmotionalRegulation
#CognitiveScience
#ResearchBased
#MindAndBrain
#LettingGoSources

• Attachment Theory – John Bowlby (1969), Mary Ainsworth (1978)
• Field, T. (2011) – Romantic breakup distress in young adults
• Sbarra, D. A., & Emery, R. E. (2005) – The emotional sequelae of nonmarital relationship dissolution
• Fisher, H. E., Brown, L. L., Aron, A., Strong, G., & Mashek, D. (2010) – Reward, addiction, and emotion regulation systems in rejection
• Kross, E. et al. (2011) – Social rejection shares neural pathways with physical pain
• Lewandowski, G. W. Jr. & Bizzoco, N. (2007) – Addition through subtraction: Growth following romantic breakup
• Dailey, R. M. et al. (2009) – On-again/off-again relationships (“relationship churning”)
• Vennum, A., Lindstrom, R., Monk, J., & Adams, R. (2014) – Relationship cycling and well-being