The Love - Breakup study: Defining love and exploring reasons for the breakup of romantic relationships

Abstract

Background: Romantic relationships are quite common amongyoung adults, and it has various outcomes, especially onpsychosocial well-being. Currently, there is no data available from India. This study aimed to define love from the perspective ofyoung adults and their beliefs associated with it and enumerate thereasons for the breakup of romantic relationships.Methodology: We conducted an online survey using ‘Google Form’, targeting young adults through social media. The selfadministeredquestionnaire had questions related to defining love,beliefs related to love, and the reasons for the first five breakups ofthe romantic relationship. We did thematic analysis for thequalitative data and descriptive data analysis for the quantitativedata using ‘R’ software. Common words to describe love wasanalysed using ‘Word Counter’.Results: Among the 156 responses, 130 participants (83.3%) hadany romantic relationship ever. The mean age of the participantswas 24.7 (SD-5). Most of the participants were females (50%),having the highest educational qualification as graduation (36.6%),and with the current relationship as a single/post-breakup (50%).The top five common words used to describe love were - feeling (n= 26), person (n = 23), care (n=17), someone (n=17), feel (n=15).We were able to derive three definitions of love from therespondents’ perspectives. The majority of the participants (86.5%,n=135) believed that romantic love happens onlyonce and reported that true love exists (68.6%). Atotal of 106 participants ever had a breakup ofromantic relationships. The top five reasons forbreakup were incompatibility, no feelings left(bored), cheating, long-distance relationship, andfamily did not approve.Conclusion: Love was mainly described as a positivefeeling, with most of the participants had belief thatit happens only once. The common reasons forbreakup were incompatibility and no feelings left(bored).