{"id":16848,"date":"2025-06-14T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailybase.com\/en\/?p=16848"},"modified":"2025-06-14T14:37:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T14:37:57","slug":"why-it-can-take-up-to-8-years-to-truly-get-over-an-ex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailybase.com\/en\/why-it-can-take-up-to-8-years-to-truly-get-over-an-ex\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It Can Take Up to 8 Years to Truly Get Over an Ex"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Breakups are often framed as something you just \u201cmove on\u201d from\u2014quickly, neatly, and cleanly. But research published in Social Psychological and Personality Science<\/em> in March 2025 paints a different picture. According to the study, it can take up to eight years<\/strong> to fully get over an ex. Yes, that long… And while that number may seem excessive, even dramatic, the science behind it is clear: romantic loss leaves a deep psychological imprint, and the healing process is anything but straightforward. Keep on reading to discover why exactly it could take this long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Makes Moving On So Difficult<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s tempting to measure recovery by how soon you start dating again <\/strong><\/a>or stop texting your ex, the reality runs deeper. Psychologists highlight three key reasons why emotional recovery can stretch across years, not months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotional Imprinting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Falling in love isn\u2019t just a feeling\u2014it\u2019s a neurological event. Love stimulates the brain\u2019s reward pathways, triggering a chemical cocktail of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. When a relationship ends, those systems don\u2019t just shut off. The absence creates a kind of emotional withdrawal, not unlike substance addiction. That\u2019s why sudden feelings of craving, obsession, or despair can surface months\u2014or even years\u2014later.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Getting
Credit: Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Nonlinear Grieving<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unlike a broken bone, emotional healing doesn\u2019t follow a steady timeline. Breakups share many traits with bereavement: grief arrives in waves, sometimes when you least expect it. A certain song, a familiar place, or even a passing scent can bring a flood of memories that feel as raw as day one. This irregularity can fool people into thinking they\u2019ve \u201crelapsed,\u201d when in fact, they\u2019re just moving through a normal grieving arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity Fusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The longer and more intimate the relationship, the more likely you are to have merged parts of your identity with your partner\u2019s. Shared routines, mutual goals, even inside jokes\u2014they all form a complex emotional architecture. After a breakup, it’s not just the relationship that\u2019s lost, but a piece of yourself. Rebuilding that sense of autonomy and self-definition is a quiet, gradual process that often takes years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why It Can Take Years to Get Over an Ex<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting over someone isn\u2019t just about forgetting or distracting yourself. It\u2019s about untangling neural pathways, allowing grief to run its course, and rediscovering your individual identity. And as research shows, there\u2019s no shortcut for that kind of work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New research finds it takes an average of 4.18 years for feelings toward an ex to be halfway dissolved, suggesting emotional closure can stretch across nearly a decade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":369,"featured_media":16883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.dailybase.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/wife-husband-having-fight-2.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Daniel","author_link":"https:\/\/www.dailybase.com\/en\/author\/baldussu\/"},"yoast_head":"\nWhy It Can Take Up to 8 Years to Truly Get Over an Ex - Daily Base EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It can take a long time to get over your ex. 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