It takes 11 weeks to get over your scumbag ex

After you’ve been dumped, don’t bother with a rebound and burning your ex’s clothes won’t make you feel any better.

What you need is 11 weeks to pass and then you’ll be fine, says new research.

A study carried out by The Journal of Positive Psychology showed 71 per cent of people surveyed who had split up in the last six months said they began to feel better before the 80 day mark.

With December proving to the most popular month to dump your other half, this means you’ll still be moping over your ex until long past Valentine’s Day.

Researchers at Monmouth Uni in New Jersey questioned 155 people who had recently been jilted.

Most of them thought the initial three months were the hardest, a painful period of adjustment and healing known as “the recovery zone”.

Afterwards the analysts found the participants developed strong coping strategies beyond the 11 week mark and started to feel better about themselves.

We asked a few students what they thought about the new study and their advice on how to get over break ups.

Alice, a finalist vet at Bristol said: “I guess it varies person to person, I don’t know if you can get over someone until you meet someone new.”

Connor, a third year designer from Nottingham said: “I turned a little crazy…my best friends were closely monitoring my Snapchat.

“Think you always want to be the first to be over them – it’s a race.”

Ellie, a biochemistry finalist at Bristol added: “Apparently it takes you the length of half the relationship to get over it but I reckon it’s shorter than that.

“It helps if they’ve grown a really terrible beard.”

Liz, an English third year at Liverpool said: “After finding out my ex had cheated on me I smashed his phone up and sent it to him in the post, it didn’t take 11 weeks. I was over it there and then.”

Ross, a business finalist at Southampton said: “I don’t know how much you ever completely get over it, especially if it was a first real relationship, maybe there will always be something there.

“But in more practical terms I reckon it takes a good few months.”