Experts explain why January sees a rise in relationship breakups

Christmas is over, the New Year is here and for a lot of couples, that apparently means it's time to break up.

Don't worry, it's not some new requirement demanded of all the partners who are still together in January, but there does seem to be an increased trend in divorce and breakups when the first month of the new year rolls around.

Data reveals a spike around searches for 'divorce' in January (Getty Stock Image)

Data reveals a spike in breakups

USA Today previously reported that in 2018 searches of the word 'divorce' peaked between January 6 and January 12, while Pinterest insights manager Swasti Sarna also revealed that searches for 'divorce party' rose by 21 percent in January 2019 in comparison to the previous month.

Another study by the University of Washington looked at divorce filings in Washington state between 2001 and 2015 and revealed an increase in the number of filings starting in January.

So the big question is, what is it about January that makes people want to be single?

Experts have shared their thoughts on January breakups (Getty Stock Image)

The December impact

Sure, the festive season is painted as one full of joy and happiness, but it can also be a time of stress and tension as family members come together and more money is spent on gifts and food.

Time off work can also result in couples spending more time together - a good thing in theory, but perhaps less so if your relationship is on the rocks.

Jacob Lucas, a professional dating coach based in England, told The Independent: "A lot of people in relationships, when they’re with people who aren’t right for them, they use their jobs, friends, as an escapism from their relationship, since they’re not really happy.

"So over the Christmas period, when people are with their families and such, they’re forced to be together a lot more. And as some friction happens, there is no escapism."

Lucas continued: "Tensions start building up and building up, before they explode a little bit, like a pressure cooker [...] And it’s usually the start of January when people break up, because they don’t have that escapism still and people take time to get back into the swing of things."

Christmas could be a breaking point for couples (Getty Stock Image)

New Year, New Me

Psychotherapist Dr Karen Phillip has also spoken about how the new year may encourage people to make a change in their personal lives, as she told The Carousel: "We reflect on our past year, our accomplishments, reassess our goals and we look at what happened and how we feel about all that. If we feel angry, upset or disappointed and we are not able to see any resolution, we may then decide to walk.

"You don’t want to be burdened by worries or ongoing pressure, you don’t want to be worrying about the continued rollercoaster in your relationship - you just want to feel free."

The New Year can prompt a desire for a new start (Getty Stock Image)

Existing issues

If you're happy in your relationship it's unlikely that you'd suddenly decide to dump your partner in January, so experts have pointed out that the desire for a 'fresh start' that comes with the new year would only likely work in tandem with existing relationship issues.

Alberta Tevie, consultant solicitor at Richard Nelson, told the MailOnline: "Where problems already exist, with the stress of creating the perfect Christmas and the money troubles which often accompany this, many couples often see the Christmas period as the final straw in their relationship [...]

"They hang on for the Christmas period, often for the sake of their children and family, but the threads of their relationship unravel shortly after."

Of course, that's not to say that breakups can't happen at other times of the year - they do, but if issues start to arise around Christmas, it's entirely possible it could be the beginning of the end.