New research reveals 45 breakup strategies and ranks the most- and least-preferred ways people end romantic relationships. Here, I explain what they are and why they matter. The paper, authored by Apostolou and Kagialis, was published recently in Personality and Individual Differences. Study Overview Study 1: Identifying Breakup Behaviors Sample: 228 Greek-speaking individuals (122 women), with an average age of 30 for women and 31 for men. Around 55 percent were currently in a romantic relationship. Methods: Participants responded to the prompt: “For various reasons, you are not happy with your romantic relationship. Write down a few actions you would take to end this relationship.” Results: Researchers identified 45 distinct breakup acts. Study 2: Rating the Breakup Acts Sample: 392 Greek-speaking participants (185 women). Women averaged 34 years old; men averaged 38. About 41 percent were single. Methods: Participants evaluated the 45 breakup acts by rating how likely they would be to use each one in an unsatisfactory relationship. Results: Researchers grouped the breakup behaviors into nine core “breakup strategies” (i.e., common ways people break …