India, April 11 -- Breakups are one of the most dreaded aspects of a relationship, especially if you are on the receiving end. While it is commonly assumed that every person would have a different reaction to unexpected news, there are three major overarching types of reactions. A study published in Evolutionary Psychology identified emotional patterns and grouped them into specific categories.

The study examined around 219 adults, asking them how they would behave if their partners broke up with them. Then, another group of 442 people were asked the same. From all the answers, the researchers were able to identify 13 major categories based on different possible reactions. The reactions ranged from obvious ones like sadness and wanting a...