Only 15% get back & stay together
A survey by ExBackPermanently found only about 15% of people who reconcile with an ex stay together long-term.
Snapshot · Multiamory: Rethinking Modern Relationships
578 - Getting Back Together with an Ex: Great Idea or Terrible Idea?
Explore episode
May 12, 2026
Where this was said
The Statistics: How Common Is Reconciliation Really?
At 9:12 · chapter starts 7:20
Emily takes the hosts through the numbers, beginning with a 2014 study on relationship churning in emerging adulthood that found nearly half of young adults reported a breakup followed by a reunion, with over half of those also continuing a sexual relationship with the ex. The Good Men Project survey of 4,534 people aged 18–55 found 32% of exes attempted reconciliation — a figure that surprises Jace ('That's a third — that's wild!') — but only 18% of those stayed together longer than a year. The ExBackPermanently website survey adds a third perspective: 15% stay together, 14% break up again, making it essentially a coin toss, though the hosts note the obvious self-selection bias of that particular sample. The conversation turns to what this really means: the real question isn't whether you can get back together, but whether anything has actually changed. [1] — Emily Matlack "32% of exes attempt reconciliation: A Good Men Project survey of 4,534 people aged 18–55 found that 32% of exes attempted to get back toget…" 08:25
~50% of young adults report reconciliation
A 2014 study on emerging adults found that nearly half reported a breakup followed by a reunion with the same partner.
32% of exes attempt reconciliation
A Good Men Project survey of 4,534 people aged 18–55 found that 32% of exes attempted to get back together.
The Statistics on Getting Back Together: Rarer Than You Think
Roughly a third of people attempt to get back with an ex, but only around 15% of all couples who reconcile actually stay together. The numbers that claim it's a coin toss come from a self-selected website audience — which may inflate the optimism considerably.
College as the Ultimate Relationship Incubator
College concentrates thousands of similar-aged, similarly-educated people in close proximity with abundant unstructured time — conditions nearly impossible to replicate in adult life. Campus Explorer data shows 28% of married graduates met their spouse at the same college.
Similar snapshots
SF average rent up 18% in 2 years
San Francisco's average rent rose 18% over the past two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City as the most expensive rental market in the country.
SF average rent: $3,728/month
San Francisco's average monthly rent now stands at $3,728, surpassing New York City to become the most expensive rental city in the United States.
Bobby walked 7 miles with dicks drawn on face
At a childhood sleepover, Bobby Lee's friends drew penises on his face and he walked 7 miles home on a dirt road before being picked up by Eric Purvis's mom.
World poverty: 60% in 1950 vs 10% today
In 1950, about 60% of the world lived in extreme poverty; today it's about 1 in 10, attributable to capitalist economic growth.
6M US children fell into poverty 2021–24
From 2021 to 2024, 6 million children fell below the poverty line in the US after the expanded child tax credit expired.
Private adoption costs $40,000–$70,000
Private domestic infant and international adoptions typically cost $40,000 to $70,000, while foster care adoption is the most affordable route at $0 to $2,000.
Only 40% of men have ever reproduced
Historically, only 40% of men have ever reproduced — Galloway uses this to argue that romantic success requires effort, not a hall pass.
7th of 10 children
Robby Hoffman is the 7th of 10 children raised in a Hasidic household in Montreal, where the family was poor and comedy was a survival mechanism.
No concept of 'too soon'
Robby's Hasidic community had no concept of 'too soon' in comedy — if it was funny, you threw it, and if you bombed, your sibling told you immediately.
