Relationships can be a minefield.

Breaking up can also be a minefield. A lot of people stay in unhappy relationships for a long time - and for many reasons. However, if we're unhappy, the right thing to do is to break up? Right? Well, it's not that easy. We all know someone who has stayed in a relationship even if they know the person they're with is not the one... but why? We all know the right thing to do, yet somehow, some people are unable to do it. This study has suggested the reason why is altruism. Altruism is described as the "disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others." A new study has found the people are more empathetic when it comes to ending relationships these days. The findings, which were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found that the more someone thinks their partner is dependant on them, the less likely they are to break up with them. Lead author of the study and assistant psychology professor at the University of Utah, Samantha Joel, said: “When people perceived that the partner was highly committed to the relationship, they were less likely to initiate a break up.

"This is true even for people who weren't really committed to the relationship themselves or who were personally unsatisfied with the relationship.

"Generally, we don't want to hurt our partners and we care about what they want."

However, she added: "It could be the person is overestimating how committed the other partner is and how painful the break up would be."

What do you think about the findings?