Have you ever rekindled a relationship with an ex?

People go back to their ex-partners for all sorts of reasons (denial, fear of being alone, familiarity) but it's a move that rarely ends well for either party.

Wanting to avoid the inevitable upset that finally ending a relationship causes is only natural but now even science is backing up your best friend who's been telling you to stay away from your ex.

In perhaps one of the more obvious conclusions researchers have ever come up with, a new study has shown that on-again, off-again relationships are pretty toxic.

It was found that 60 per cent of adults (three in every five of us) have been in an on-again, off-again relationship at some stage.

Looking at 545 adults in both straight and same-sex relationships, a team at the University of Columbia-Missouri identified a link between on-again, off-again relationships and higher instances of anxiety and depression.

The researchers concluded that the "accumulation of relationship transitions can create added turmoil for individuals."

In plain English, that simply means that breaking up over and over causes extra heartache, which honestly you already knew.

“Remember that it is OK to end a toxic relationship," assistant professor Kale Monk told Science Daily.

"If your relationship is beyond repair, do not feel guilty leaving for your mental or physical well-being."

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