Rebound (dating)

A rebound is an undefined period following the break up of a romantic relationship. The term's use dates back 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. When a serious relationship ends badly, these partners suffer from complex emotional stresses of detachment. This in combination with the need to move forward leads previous partners to have uncommitted relations called rebounds. If a rebound were to occur, it will happen on average about six weeks after a break up.

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. Those emerging from serious relationships are often advised to avoid serious dating until their tumultuous emotions have calmed.

Men vs Women

Rebounds tend to be more common in men. When the break up occurs, men tend to find a distraction to break away from the emotional stress. The rebound relationship for men offers a distraction from their feelings and emotional attachment to their ex-spouse. It also offers a source of support for men.

Women on the other hand want more certain qualities and certainty when it comes to relationships. With that said, when a woman enters into a rebound relationship, for the most part it is for the purpose of emotional support just like the men, however it is believed to happen less because women have more of a support system than men.

Social Support Networks

Social Support Networks are positive support systems that an individual builds to decrease negative mental states. When the relationship ends, the dyad (group of two people) ceases to exist. For women, when this dyad ends, they still have emotional support from the social support networks they’ve created. They have other people, such as friends and close family, to help them.

For men, they have smaller if any strong social support groups aside from their spouse. When the relationship ends it leaves the man vulnerable since their main support was their spouse.

Gender Socialisation

Part of the reason why men do not have a strong support group is due to gender socialisation, the values and expectations toward the sexes. Women are taught to be cooperative and understanding as opposed to men, who are taught to be aggressive and to not express vulnerable feelings. Since one of the roles of a woman is to be responsible for taking care of the family, they are preconceived to handle a relationship's emotional strain. They can express their feelings openly without the pressure of being ridiculed as being weak like men.

At a young age, men are taught to be more aggressive, powerful, and not show ‘womanly’ feelings. With that said, men are not taught how to handle the emotions that they have suppressed for years. In heterosexual relationships, they start to depend on women to be their biggest emotional support system since they themselves do not have one. When that relationship ends, there are fewer ways for men to cope with their feelings, so they find distractions of suppression, which is why men tend to find themselves in more rebound relationships than women.

Shimek, Cassie; Bello, Richard (2014-01-27). "Coping with Break-Ups: Rebound Relationships and Gender Socialization". Social Sciences. 3 (1): 24–43. doi:10.3390/socsci3010024. Barber, Lindsay L.; Cooper, M. Lynne (2013-12-20). "Rebound Sex: Sexual Motives and Behaviors Following a Relationship Breakup". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 43 (2): 251–265. ISSN 0004-0002. doi:10.1007/s10508-013-0200-3. 

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