Most young adults now choose to end a relationship via text, rather than face-to-face - which will surprise no-one who’s ever had to endure sight of their soon-to-be ex’s cry face as they utter the immortal lines ‘it’s not you it’s me.’
The study revealed that 56 per cent of those surveyed ended a relationship by text message, social media or email. The majority (55 per cent) who ended their relationship via text did so because it made the relationship 'less awkward', while 61 per cent of those who dumped on social media said they did so as they had 'deleted or blocked' their last partner's phone number.
Personally, I’d much rather be dumped by text than IRL. It might be impersonal, and it might be cowardly, but take it from someone knows - there’s nothing worse than getting the ‘it’s not working’ speech in a restaurant less than sixty seconds after you’ve ordered your starter. No-one needs to see you sobbing into your Caesar salad - not your now ex boyfriend, and not the Spanish waiter who inexplicably tries to slip you their number at the end of the evening as a consolation prize.
Getting dumped by text gives you time to absorb the shock on your own, and decide how you’re going to respond to the fact that the guy you were about to introduce to your parents has been shagging the Australian barmaid he met in Shepherd’s Bush Walkabout for the past eight weeks. You might want to storm round his house, throw things, and set fire to his favourite shirt - and that’s your prerogative. Equally you might want to lock yourself in your bedroom with a bottle of wine and an Amy Winehouse album. Again, it’s up to you - at least you’ve now got the choice.
Because if you’re dumped face to face, you have a split second to decide how you want to respond. Do you want to cause a scene, or take it with dignity and walk away? And what if you burst into tears? You can never take the cry face back - just ask Claire Danes. Far better to receive a dreaded text and mull it over before you decide what sort of scorned woman you want to be. Take it from someone who knows.
And the added bonus? Your ex will always be the bastard who chucked you by text, giving you another satisfying reason to hate him two years down the line when the Australian barmaid chucks him and he gets back in touch.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter @rebecca_hol
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.