The First Person Most People Call After A Bad Breakup, According To Research

Who's the first person you go to after a heartbreak?

By Nicole Weaver — Last updated on Aug 21, 2023

Photo: Karolina Grabowska | Canva

We don't often think about it, but the first person we call after a breakup is kind of important. It's the person we trust and feel we can turn to in our most vulnerable moments. So ... who is this person?

According to 2015 research done by the smartphone app, LISTEN and opinion database, YouGov, many people are very specific when it comes to who they lean on when dealing with a broken heart, they won't just call anyone. After a bad event, people are most likely to call their closest circle, and then their family.

How were the people most likely to break up with their partners? According to the study, a conversation in real life remains the most popular. Three out of four of those surveyed would break up with a partner face-to-face, while the remainder prefers a phone call.

After contacting 1,094 U.S. adults, they found that a female friend is a person most people turn to talk about a recent heartbreak, coming in at 27 percent, and Mom comes in second (but don't tell her that!) at 17 percent, after that, it's a sibling at 10 percent, with a male friend also at 10 percent.

Another family member was at 4 percent, and Dad at 2 percent, the person we just broke up with at 2 percent.

Why would someone call the person they just broke up with for solace? A theory could be that people just need to dwell in the breakup sadness for a while.

So who comes in at dead last in times of trouble? The bittersweet answer is an ex. Only one percent said their ex would be the first person to call. Maybe it's for a hookup, maybe they're still really good friends with an ex, or maybe they aren't still over that person. Who knows!?

That's not all the research covered, though. Thanks to technology (darn text messaging!) we have multiple ways to break up with someone, but which way do most people prefer to end a relationship?

According to the results, people really prefer to give closure in person. (Thank god; our faith in humanity is restored.) The others believe a simple, sad phone call would suffice.

When are people most likely to break up with someone? According to the research, March remains the most popular month, followed by December. What's a possible explanation? Probably the fear of breaking up with someone and being lonely on the holidays.