LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 25: In this photo illustration the Social networking site Facebook is displayed on a laptop screen on March 25, 2009 in London, England. The British government has made proposals which would force Social networking websites such as Facebook to pass on details of users, friends and contacts to help fight terrorism. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Are you getting worried your significant other is starting to check out of your relationship? Here's an easy way to find out for sure: Get a quick degree and run a sentiment analysis algorithm on their social media posts. A new study out of the University of Texas found that someone's social media posts can predict their breakup three months before it happens. They studied posts on Reddit's "BreakUps" subreddit . . . which, before you ask, does not contain any hot stock tips. They found the users on there who posted about breakups, and they analyzed all of their past posts on the site. And they found that around three months before someone's relationship ends, there's a noticeable change in the language they use, whether they're talking about their relationship or something else. People start using more self-focused words, like "I," "me," and "mine" . . . and they start thinking about things less analytically and more emotionally. The researchers say this shows, quote, "there are signs you've already started to disengage from your partner weeks ahead of time . . . [so] if you notice you're using more self-focused words, it might be a sign you've already made up your mind."
