People see their own breakup pain as more genuine
Core finding
Few Americans admit to much exaggeration in how they recall a bad relationship after a breakup. A plurality (37%) say they play it up maybe a little and nearly a third (31%) not at all, while 9% own up to quite a bit and just 2% to very much.
One-in-five (21%) have no opinion, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey of 491 U.S. adults.
Topline distribution
People see their own breakup pain as more genuine.
To what extent do you think you typically exaggerate how bad a relationship was after a breakup?
n = 491 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±4.7%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 491 |
| Margin of error | ±4.7% |
| Module | society |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
To what extent do you think you typically exaggerate how bad a relationship was after a breakup?
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=491 US adults age 18+, +/- 4.7%.