Want to Stay Friends With Your Ex? Here Are Some Tips!

It’s never fun to hear someone tell you that “I think we’re better as friends,” but sometimes, it’s actually true. Whether or not it’s actually possible to stay friends with a significant other after the fact is another story. 

SweetRing, the rapidly growing dating app for people in search of a serious relationship, recently surveyed its users about this age-old dilemma. The results indicate that people are willing to stay friends with an ex — but it’ll most likely take a while.

Of the 1000 users surveyed, 17% of participants said they would be willing to remain friends with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend right after the break up, while 28% of the participants said they’d need between 6 and 12 months before resuming as platonic friends.

                      

A majority of users, however, expressed more reluctance: 33% said they’d want at least a year after a breakup to become friends again, while 22% of respondents drew a line in the sand and said no post-breakup friendship would ever be possible. 

Most tellingly, even with 45% of participants suggesting that they would be willing to eventually become friends with an ex within a year’s time, just 9% of all respondents said that doing so would be worthwhile.

 SweetRing’s team of relationship experts were unsurprised by the results. They advised the recently single to give an ex ample space after a breakup, even if they desire to one day resume a friendship. Doing so will allow both parties to heal and move on, and after months of introspection, they may be more willing to have an honest conversation about what went wrong. 

That sort of introspection is crucial, though not always so common. Only 31% of the SweetRing users said they could pinpoint exactly why their relationship did not work out. More time apart, the dating service’s experts suggested, will at the very least reduce the possibility that exes get back together for short-lived and ill-fated reunions.

Of the 1000 users surveyed, 17% of participants said they would be willing to remain friends with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend right after the break up, while 28% of the participants said they’d need between 6 and 12 months before resuming as platonic friends.

A majority of users, however, expressed more reluctance: 33% said they’d want at least a year after a breakup to become friends again, while 22% of respondents drew a line in the sand and said no post-breakup friendship would ever be possible. 

Most tellingly, even with 45% of participants suggesting that they would be willing to eventually become friends with an ex within a year’s time, just 9% of all respondents said that doing so would be worthwhile.

SweetRing’s team of relationship experts were unsurprised by the results. They advised the recently single to give an ex ample space after a breakup, even if they desire to one day resume a friendship. Doing so will allow both parties to heal and move on, and after months of introspection, they may be more willing to have an honest conversation about what went wrong. 

That sort of introspection is crucial, though not always so common. Only 31% of the SweetRing users said they could pinpoint exactly why their relationship did not work out. More time apart, the dating service’s experts suggested, will at the very least reduce the possibility that exes get back together for short-lived and ill-fated reunions.