5 Shocking Statistics Reveal That We Pretty Much Suck At Breakups

If you've ever felt blindsided by the surprise announcement of your ex-boyfriend's engagement on Facebook, or found yourself internet-stalking your ex-husband after "innocently" Googling him one evening, or were unexpectedly stopped in your tracks by Flickr photos of you and your ex-girlfriend in happier days, you know that the internet and social media make it hard to move on from an ex after a breakup.

What we don't know was just how pervasive ex-attachment is, so we conducted a poll to find out.

Over 1,000 people took the survey and the results astounded us. People are much more attached to their exes than we realized, and ex-obsession affects people in every love stage, not just singles and those who have recently broken up or divorced. 

Below are some of the fascinating breakup statistics and results from our survey: 

1. Most people are still very hung up on their ex. 

Seventy-one percent of people say they think about their ex too much. Narrowed to singles, the figure goes up to 81 percent. More than half (57 percent) of singletons say thinking about their ex prevents them from finding new love.

But it's not just singles — married folks are ex-obsessed as well. Almost two-thirds of married people (60 percent) agree that their ex is on their mind too often, and 36 percent say their attachment to their ex interferes with their marriage.

2. Both women and men remain attached to their exes. 

Seventy-four percent of women and 64 percent of men think about their ex too much. Seventy-six percent of women and 70 percent of men have looked up an ex on the internet. And 50 percent of women and 40 percent of men say they look at their ex's Facebook or other online profile too often. 

3. Digital technology plays a major role in the struggle and hinders people from moving on. 

Fifty-nine percent of people remain Facebook "friends" with an ex after they've broken up, and 48 percent (including 42 percent of married folks) say they look at their ex's Facebook page or other social networking profile too often. Likewise, almost three-quarters of people (74 percent) have looked up an ex on the internet.

4. Walking down memory lane makes clean breakups difficult. 

In one of the most shocking breakup statistics, we found that 86 percent of people admit to looking at photos of their ex; 14 percent of married folks admit to doing so often. And 50 percent people have called, texted, emailed or IMed an ex when they shouldn't have (Uh, can you say drunk dialing?).

5. Sex with your ex isn't helping your cause. 

One-third of people have had sex with their ex, and 20 percent have done so multiple times. Not the best idea, ladies and gentlemen. 

Check out the video below to learn more about the science of heartbreak:

If any of this sounds familiar, visit www.BreakUpWithYourEx.com and learn how to digitally detach from your ex.