An on-again, off-again relationship (also known as an on–off or off–on relationship) is a form of personal relationship between two persons who keep breaking up only to reconcile afterwards, thus repeating a cycle. Researcher Kale Monk, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

, cites several reasons as to why a relationship might be on-again, off-again, including one partner relocating to a new place or the couple re-assessing their relationship. Many continue to reunite out of a persistent hope that the moments of happiness and gratification they have known will eventually constitute the entire relationship. Being in an on-again, off-again relationship can damage one's mental health, leading to possible depression,

eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...

, and/or

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...

. Additionally, Monk also notes how these types of relationships have higher rates of abuse, poorer communication, and lower levels of commitment. Not all on-again, off-again relationships are considered toxic, as breaking up and reconciling can help a couple with better communication and address the issues in their relationships. A 2009 study published in the ''Personal Relationships'' journal revealed that nearly two-thirds of participants have experienced being in an on-again, off-again relationship.

References

Intimate relationships Interpersonal relationships Interpersonal conflict Relationship breakup {{social-psych-stub