Article by: Dr Zoe Arugay
Photo: Getty Images
 

Conventional wisdom says that unmarried young women are more vulnerable than men during tough times in a relationship, but  new research says otherwise.

According to researchers at the Wake Forest University and  Florida State University, the impact of a rocky relationship  hits harder on young men. The research conducted by Robin Simon,  PhD, a professor at Wake Forest, and Anne Barrett, PhD, of FSU,  studied the emotional reactions of 1,611 unmarried adults  between the ages of 18 and 23.

They found out that:

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  The harmful stress of a roller-coaster relationship is more  likely to affect the mental health of young men than young  women.

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  A recent breakup from a romantic relationship affects the  mental health of young women more than young men.

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  Young women are more emotionally affected than their romantic  partners when it comes to being in a relationship or not. Young  men, on the other hand, are more affected emotionally by the quality of their current relationships.

Simon also says that both men and women are affected by the  negative and positive aspects of a relationship, but men are  more affected emotionally.

While women are more likely to become depressed, distressed  young men are more likely to turn to alcohol and mind-altering  substances, hence, they are more likely to develop substance  abuse problems.

Meanwhile, women have more social networks... (and shopping and  ice cream?)

The researchers conclude that "Future research should focus on  why some dimensions of these relationships matter more for young  women's mental health and others matter more for young men."

In the meantime, I say it's times like these when it seems  better to be in tuned to your feminine side.