Valentine's Day Expectations: Valentine's Week is a festival of love for couples. But did you know that this week also sees the most
Why do relationships break up before Valentine's Day?
Why Do Breakups Increase Around Valentine's Day? Valentine's Day is considered a celebration of love and relationships, but surprisingly, breakups also increase during this time. The weeks leading up to February 14th become a period of emotional stress for many couples. Questions that were previously avoided—are we truly happy? Is this relationship progressing?—Suddenly seems serious. Let us explain why this happens.
What came out in the study
A study published in the online library, which followed romantic couples for a year, found that the two weeks surrounding Valentine's Day were approximately 2.5 times more likely to result in a breakup than on other days. When the researchers also took into account factors such as relationship duration, previous relationship history, and gender, the likelihood of a breakup during this period was more than five times higher.
At first glance, it might seem strange why people break up just before the festival of love. But the study revealed another important finding: this increase was only seen in couples who were already struggling. This trend was not seen in stable or strengthening relationships. This means that Valentine's Day itself doesn't break a relationship, but rather exposes pre-existing cracks. Psychologists refer to such occasions as "temporal landmarks," milestones that divide time into "before" and "after." These moments prompt people to assess their lives and make pending decisions. Valentine's Day becomes one such milestone. It doesn't create doubt, but rather intensifies existing uncertainty.
The times are changing.
Another aspect of this day is pressure. Valentine's Day has become highly ritualized and commercialized. Advertisements, social media posts, gifts, and public displays of affection create pressure to portray a relationship as "perfect." Romance on this day becomes a form of performance. Many people choose separation rather than acting romantically in a relationship where they are already feeling uneasy. According to a national survey in the US, 22 percent of American adults said they ended a relationship before Valentine's Day because they didn't want their partner to shower them with gifts or spend money on them, even though they knew the relationship was ending.
Points to note
After all, Valentine's Day itself doesn't cause a breakup, but it does bring months of uncertainty to the surface. This is why many relationships see visible cracks around this day.
