Doing 'friends with benefits' with your ex is bad for you, study shows

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Image via Instagram/@jlo

It may be working out ok for J-Lo and Ben Affleck but a new study finds hooking up with your ex is generally just not a good idea.

Scientists have looked into the situation. They found that keeping an ex on the side for casual sex brought on negative feelings about the other person and even yourself.

Tyla.com reports that the research looked into relationships during lockdown and the pandemic. It found that there was an increase in the number of people getting back in contact with their ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends.

The study was conducted in the US and published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking.

Image via Pexels.com

They looked at 397 adults who were in marriages. They found that 62% of those had a "back burner" incase things went pear shaped. That's despite 93% of those people saying their relationship was exclusive.

Dr John Banas, from the University of Oklahoma in the US, said:

“If having ex-partner back burners cascades into increased communication, increased sexual activity, and bad feelings for the admirer, then those in committed relationships might wish to exercise greater caution before forming a back-burner relationship with an ex-partner.”

Ya hear that, J-Lo?