Rebound (dating)

A rebound is an undefined period following the break up of a romantic relationship. The term's use dates to at least the 1830s, when Mary Russell Mitford wrote of "nothing so easy as catching a heart on the rebound".^[1] The term may also refer to a romantic relationship that a person has during the rebound period, or to the partner in such a relationship.

Someone who is "on the rebound," or recently out of a serious dating relationship, is popularly believed to be psychologically incapable of making reasonable decisions regarding suitable partners due to emotional neediness, lingering feelings towards the old partner, or unresolved problems from the previous relationship. Rebound relationships are believed to be short-lived due to one partner's emotional instability and desire to distract themselves from a painful break up, and those emerging from serious relationships are often advised to avoid serious dating until their tumultuous emotions have calmed.

Studies of the rebound effect

A 2006 study from Princeton University^[2] found no evidence supporting the existence of a "rebound effect" for the recently Separated.

In popular media

• The Rebound, a 2009 romantic comedy film about the subject

Footnotes

1. ↑ Rebound, n. (and adj.). Oxford English Dictionary. Third edition, July 2010; online version November 2010. Accessed 7 January 2011.
2. ↑ "On the Rebound: Time to Remarriage and Subsequent Union Stability"