bad relationships

Ex Sex Not the Worst Idea Ever

Photo: Patricia Curi/Corbis

It’s a pretty common scenario: You’re out with a recently dumped friend who’s been sneakily texting under the table all night. Then, suddenly, she’s like, “I’ve gotta go! Early day!” And you know she’s just going to engage in ill-advised sexual behaviors with someone who broke her heart — so obviously you want to confiscate the phone or chain her to the table because you’re pretty sure ex sex is a terrible idea. Well, science says you’re wrong, reports the Daily Mail.

A recent study from the University of Arizona found that of 137 divorced couples, 82.5 percent still remained in touch with their ex and 21.9 percent of them engaged in sex with their ex. Surprisingly, people who weren’t “over” the relationship found that post-relationship contact could be beneficial. Instead of leading to excessive red-wine consumption and hours-long crying jags, the act of sleeping with an ex-partner helped ease the pain of separation and, in some cases, led to closure. Or maybe the participants just realized the sex wasn’t that good in the first place.

Ex Sex Not the Worst Idea Ever