We’re often told that jumping back into bed with an ex can only lead to heartache.
But a new study by researchers form Wayne State University suggests that this might not be the case.
Researchers have found that having sex with your ex doesn’t hinder moving on after the breakup, and may in fact a good thing.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers carried out two in studies.
In the first, the team analysed the daily experiences of 113 participants who had recently been through a breakup.
These participants were surveyed on whether they had had any physical contact with former partners, how emotionally attached they still were, and how they felt after each day.
In the second study, 372 participants reported their actual and attempted sexual engagement with their ex, as well as whether they were still emotionally tied to them.
The results revealed that pursuing sex with an ex didn’t seem to stand in the way of people’s recovery from a breakup.
Stephanie Spielmann, who led the study, said: “This research suggests that societal handwringing regarding trying to have sex with an ex may not be warranted.
“The fact that sex with an ex is found to be most eagerly pursued by those having difficulty moving on, suggests that we should perhaps instead more critically evaluate people’s motivations behind pursuing sex with an ex.”
