"You're Dumped!" Yahoo! Personals Research Shows National Break-Up Season Has Arrived.

Nearly 4 out of 10 People Likely to Reassess Their Dating Life

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Valentine's Day is just over a month away but according to new research from Yahoo! Personals, the most visited online dating service(a), Cupid is charting a tricky course for the next few weeks.

The study shows we are now in National Break-Up Season, the period between the December holidays and Valentine's Day when people are more than twice as likely to think about breaking up than at any other time of the year.

January, with all its focus on resolutions to be healthier, richer, and happier, naturally leads couples to take stock of their relationships and think about whether they are with the right person.

"'Find a new love' is up there with 'lose weight' and 'save more money' as a New Year's resolution," said Anna Zornosa, vice president and general manager, Yahoo! Personals. "People tend to 'put up' with current relationships in order to have a partner for holiday gatherings, but once the festivities are over it's time to decide whether to fish or cut bait."

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

The two primary reasons leading to a break-up were not having a shared view of the future with a partner (48 percent) and feeling unfulfilled or in a rut (41 percent). Trigger factors varied around the country and across ages:

* Feeling unfulfilled/in a rut would lead more East Coasters to reassess their dating life than other daters (47 percent of East Coasters versus 35 percent of West Coasters, 40 percent of Midwesterners and 41 percent of Southerners).

* Daters aged 30 - 39 (50 percent) were more likely than those aged 18 - 29 (42 percent) to move on from a relationship because they had conflicting views of the future with their partner.

* Feeling unfulfilled/in a rut was more likely to push daters aged 18 - 29 (45 percent) out the door than those aged 30 - 39 (36 percent).

I Will Survive

National Break-Up Season affects not only people ending the relationships but also those being left and the friends who will be asked to console and counsel them. Looking at break-ups from all sides of the story, Yahoo! Personals has created a Survival Guide offering advice on how to make a break-up less painful for everyone.

Here's what they'll find at http://personals.yahoo.com/breakupguide:

* The ultimate guide to beating the break-up blues This helpful guide is jam-packed with tips from psychologists, dating experts and fellow singles to help get that pit out of your stomach, heal the wounds and fill the void.

* 10 steps to breaking it off Is she too controlling? Is he too aloof? Too allergic to your dog? Whatever the imbalance, we have the official step-by-step guide to ending the drama and the relationship on as high a note as possible.

* How to support your friend though the rough patch A shoulder to cry on is a nice place to start. But how do you know exactly what your heart-broken friend needs in order to move on? We have the answers so that you can help.

End of the Road

One clear indicator of an approaching break-up is when one partner starts avoiding the other person. More than sixty percent (62 percent) of people about to break up with their partner are very likely to or will definitely avoid the other person.

People also like to see what's out there before taking the plunge back into the dating pool. Thirty nine percent (39 percent) of respondents said that they would be very likely to or will definitely go online to check out their options.

The younger you are, the more likely you are to need liquid courage. Forty six percent (46 percent) of 18 - 29 year olds and 40 percent of 30 - 39 year olds are very likely to or definitely going to have a drink to loosen up just before they break up with someone.

For some couples, there's one more thing to do before you break up. Thirty one percent (31 percent) say they would spend "one last great night together" before they broke up with someone. Daters aged 18 - 29 (48 percent) were more likely to do this than older daters.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

Breaking up, as the song goes, is hard to do. The Yahoo! Personals research shows that there are some basic rules to follow:

* Monday is the best day of the week to do the deed (27 percent). Sunday comes in a close second at 21 percent.

* The worst way to break up with someone was by sending an email to the person at work (32 percent) or delivering the news through a friend or family member (27 percent). "The guy I had been dating for a couple of months asked his mom to do it for him," said one dater. "She gave me a big hug on his behalf. It was so humiliating."

* Breaking up with someone through e-mail or phone while they are at work is worse than doing the same thing while they are at home. Twenty percent (20 percent) say breaking up over the phone while the other person is at work is the worst way while only three percent think it's bad if the other person is at home. Only eight percent think sending an email to home is the worst way compared to 32 percent who think sending an email to work is the worst way to break up.

* Get your act together before Valentine's Day. Eighteen percent (18 percent) think this is the worst day to break up with someone. And it is best to avoid breaking up on his/her birthday. 23 percent said that is worst day to do the deed.

Better Things to Do

It's likely to be a productive January and February. How do people react after being told that their partner is breaking up with them?

* The number one way to take their mind off the break-up is to immerse oneself in work (76 percent are very likely or will definitely do this).

* Going online to check out new dating partners is another popular therapy (72 percent are very likely or will definitely do this).

* Half would go on vacation (50 percent are very likely or will definitely do this).

* Less than a quarter would try to rewrite history and cut their former partner out of all their photos (23 percent are very likely or will definitely do this).

Methodology: National Break-Up Season Survey

The survey asked 2,583 respondents more than three dozen questions regarding their experiences and attitudes toward dating and breakups. Respondents were signed-in users of the Yahoo! Personals home page who clicked on a link inviting them to participate in the survey. Ages ranged from 18 to over 50; 58 percent were female; 42 percent were male.

About Yahoo! Personals

Yahoo! Personals was first introduced in the U.S. in 1997 and has quickly grown to become one of the leading and most popular online dating services available. The service offers a large, dynamic dating scene where users can search for, meet and communicate with a variety of people. For more information, visit http://personals.yahoo.com.

a) comScore Media Metrix, November 2006