The Pain of Friendship Breakups. Why Does Losing a Friend Hurt More Than We're Allowed to Admit?
- Nov 11, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: 18 minutes ago

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Romantic breakups get all the press. They get the sad songs, the tubs of ice cream, and the sympathetic nods from strangers. But what about the other great love of your lifeâyour best friend? When that partnership dissolves, you don't get a "Get Over Them" playlist. You just get⌠silence. And letâs be honest, it feels bizarrely, deeply, profoundly awful.
Friendships don't always end in a cinematic explosion of betrayal and slammed doors, though some do, and those really sting. More often, they just fade. Itâs the slow-motion ghosting. The texts that go from daily to weekly to "seen." Itâs less of a bang and more of a quiet, confusing fizzle, leaving you wondering if you just imagined the whole fantastic relationship.
Whether it was a sudden split or a gradual drift, the emotional fallout is real. Itâs not just "getting over it." Youâre questioning everything. "Was it me?" "Did I say something wrong?" "Why does this feel like a five-alarm fire in my chest?" Science actually has an answer, and it turns out, your brain is processing this loss in a way that is shockingly physical. Youâre not being dramatic...




