After a breakup, one of the first things you may think of doing is "unfriend" your ex on Facebook. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind, so if you see less of him, you'll forget him quicker.

But the problem with social media is exactly that: it's social. You've probably left a network of common friends in the wake of your ruined relationship, so when your former flame comments on your kabarkada's post, his name appears on your feed, and the temptation to click on it to see how he's doing sometimes becomes too hard to resist.

That's three steps forward and five steps back on your personal road to recovery--and even scientists agree that it isn't good for you.

MedicalNewsToday.com reports that a study entitled Facebook Surveillance of Former Romantic Partners: Associations with PostBreakup Recovery and Personal Growth has been published. It discusses how contact with and monitoring of your ex on the famous social networking site affects your post-breakup psyche. Researchers collected data from 464 participants adjusting to recent singlehood and evaluated a range of feelings and emotions including longing, anger, depression, and even sexual desire.

The results show that as holding on to your ex in real life inhibits growth and keeps you from moving forward, so does following his social media activities. So if you really want to begin a new chapter in your story, keep yourself from taking a peek at his Facebook profile. Go out and live a little. You'll find that letting go of yesterday will make today and tomorrow a great deal easier.

(Photo via Facebook)