{"id":8488,"date":"2022-01-31T05:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T12:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/?p=8488"},"modified":"2024-01-29T16:52:15","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T23:52:15","slug":"adults-item-past-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/adults-item-past-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Out of 3 U.S. Adults Still Have an Item from an Ex or Past Relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>With Valentine&rsquo;s Day right around the corner, many of us might find ourselves reflecting on past loves.<\/p>\n<p>The reflecting may include reminiscing on happy (or even not-so-happy) memories together, looking at old photographs &mdash;&nbsp;or even uncovering items from past relationships that we&rsquo;ve never let go of.<\/p>\n<p>We were curious about those items, so we started asking &mdash;&nbsp;how many people still have relationship relics that belonged to an ex? What items are they still holding onto? Why aren&rsquo;t they able to let them go? Some of the answers were surprising &mdash;&nbsp;and, in the spirit of the season, some were even a little bit romantic. Here&rsquo;s what we learned:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>65% of survey respondents said they still have an item from a past relationship.<\/li>\n<li>The most common reason people say they hold onto these items is because of the memories attached to them. The second most common reason is because they&rsquo;re functional.<\/li>\n<li>The most commonly kept items are love letters and cards (50%), printed photographs and photo albums (46%), and jewelry (43%).<\/li>\n<li>The least commonly kept items are sports, workout, or athletic equipment (16%); pets (18%); and furniture (20%).<\/li>\n<li>Most people only have an item from one ex, but 42% of people have items from several past relationships.<\/li>\n<li>Nearly half of people who have held onto an item from an ex have had it for more than five years.<\/li>\n<li>Even though these items hold sentiment or are functional, most people (54%) say they want to get rid of the items they still have from past relationships. Many haven&rsquo;t done so yet because they say they plan to return items to their ex.<\/li>\n<li>Men are more likely to still have an item from an ex, but women tend to keep those items for longer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"65-of-u-s-adults-are-holding-onto-souvenirs-of-the-past\">65% of U.S. Adults Are Holding Onto Souvenirs of the Past<\/h2>\n<p><img  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8490 size-full pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"65% of U.S. Adults Are Holding Onto Souvenirs of the Past\"  width=\"951\"  height=\"1238\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-ls-sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics.png\"  data-pk-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics.png 951w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics-230x300.png 230w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics-787x1024.png 787w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics-768x1000.png 768w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics-380x495.png 380w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics-550x716.png 550w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/02-neighbor-relationship-relics-800x1041.png 800w\" ><\/p>\n<p>Our survey found that a whopping 65% &mdash;&nbsp;nearly 2 out of every 3 U.S. adults &mdash;&nbsp;have an item from a past relationship.<\/p>\n<p>The most commonly kept items are love letters and cards (50%), printed photographs and photo albums (46%), and jewelry (43%). The least commonly kept items are sports, workout, or athletic equipment (16%); pets (18%); and furniture (20%).<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, 25% of respondents said they still have an old engagement ring from an ex. &nbsp;Clothes, Valentine&rsquo;s Day gifts, stuffed animals, and household items were also common. Some of the stranger responses we received? Tattoos, sex toys, shot glasses, and even a fingernail or a piece of their hair.<\/p>\n<p><img  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8500 size-full pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"strangest items kept from past relationships\"  width=\"951\"  height=\"512\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-ls-sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/03-neighbor-relationship-relics-1.png\"  data-pk-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/03-neighbor-relationship-relics-1.png 951w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/03-neighbor-relationship-relics-1-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/03-neighbor-relationship-relics-1-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/03-neighbor-relationship-relics-1-380x205.png 380w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/03-neighbor-relationship-relics-1-550x296.png 550w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/03-neighbor-relationship-relics-1-800x431.png 800w\" ><\/p>\n<p>58% of survey respondents reported keeping an item or items from just one ex, while 42% of people said they have belongings that came from several exes.<\/p>\n<p>What was really surprising was that it seems that once someone decides to hold onto an item from an ex, it&rsquo;s something they keep for a long time. When asked how long they&rsquo;ve kept an item or items from a past relationship, most respondents (43%) said longer than five years.<\/p>\n<html><body><div id=\"in_post\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/host\" onclick=\"rudderanalytics.track('press editorial cta button', {location: 'first in post', version: '2.0'}, () =&gt; { console.log('track call'); });\">\r\n  <div class=\"first-in-post-cta\">\r\n    <header>\r\n      <h2 id=\"can-we-pay-you-to-store-vehicles\">Can we pay you to store vehicles?<\/h2>\r\n    <\/header>\r\n    <section>\r\n      <div class=\"service-option\">\r\n        <div class=\"service-option-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"60\" height=\"60\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" fill=\"none\">\r\n            <path d=\"M26.7552 20.0573C26.2911 20.9853 26.2499 22.3578 26.2499 24.375H33.7499C33.7499 22.3577 33.7088 20.9853 33.2448 20.0573C33.0557 19.6792 32.8 19.3973 32.3888 19.1841C31.9442 18.9535 31.2108 18.75 30 18.75C28.7892 18.75 28.0558 18.9535 27.6112 19.1841C27.2 19.3973 26.9442 19.6792 26.7552 20.0573Z\" fill=\"#005EB8\"><\/path>\r\n            <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M28.0777 4.32887C29.3195 3.87732 30.6805 3.87732 31.9223 4.32887L48.7973 10.4652C51.0173 11.2725 52.5 13.3777 52.5 15.7462V33.1425C52.5 33.7407 52.4058 34.3605 52.1888 34.9629C47.861 46.9738 35.9939 53.5676 32.1164 55.464C30.7986 56.1086 29.2843 56.1505 27.9278 55.5549C23.9729 53.8185 12.0728 47.6941 7.77513 34.8948C7.58399 34.3255 7.5 33.7394 7.5 33.1762V15.7481C7.5 13.3807 8.98165 11.2729 11.2027 10.4652L28.0777 4.32887ZM22.4998 24.1662L22.4999 24.375C20.4289 24.375 18.75 26.054 18.75 28.125V35.625C18.75 37.6961 20.4289 39.375 22.5 39.375H37.5C39.5711 39.375 41.25 37.6961 41.25 35.625V28.125C41.25 26.0539 39.5711 24.375 37.5 24.375L37.5 24.166C37.5016 22.4546 37.5037 20.19 36.5989 18.3802C36.0848 17.352 35.2859 16.4621 34.115 15.855C32.9776 15.2652 31.6017 15 30 15C28.3983 15 27.0224 15.2652 25.885 15.855C24.7141 16.4621 23.9152 17.352 23.4011 18.3802C22.4961 20.1901 22.4982 22.4547 22.4998 24.1662Z\" fill=\"#005EB8\"><\/path>\r\n          <\/svg><\/div>\r\n        <h3 id=\"list-your-unused-space\">List your unused space<\/h3>\r\n        <p>People are earning $1,000s per year from their garages and outdoor space.<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"service-option\">\r\n        <div class=\"service-option-icon\">\r\n          <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"60\" height=\"60\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" fill=\"none\">\r\n            <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M13.125 9.375C11.0539 9.375 9.375 11.0539 9.375 13.125V46.875C9.375 48.9461 11.0539 50.625 13.125 50.625H46.875C48.9461 50.625 50.625 48.9461 50.625 46.875V13.125C50.625 11.0539 48.9461 9.375 46.875 9.375H13.125ZM28.125 16.875C28.125 15.8395 28.9645 15 30 15C31.0355 15 31.875 15.8395 31.875 16.875V20.625H35.625C36.6605 20.625 37.5 21.4645 37.5 22.5C37.5 23.5355 36.6605 24.375 35.625 24.375H26.25C25.2145 24.375 24.375 25.2145 24.375 26.25C24.375 27.2855 25.2145 28.125 26.25 28.125H33.75C36.8566 28.125 39.375 30.6434 39.375 33.75C39.375 36.8566 36.8566 39.375 33.75 39.375H31.875V43.125C31.875 44.1605 31.0355 45 30 45C28.9645 45 28.125 44.1605 28.125 43.125V39.375H22.5C21.4645 39.375 20.625 38.5355 20.625 37.5C20.625 36.4645 21.4645 35.625 22.5 35.625H33.75C34.7855 35.625 35.625 34.7855 35.625 33.75C35.625 32.7145 34.7855 31.875 33.75 31.875H26.25C23.1434 31.875 20.625 29.3566 20.625 26.25C20.625 23.1434 23.1434 20.625 26.25 20.625H28.125V16.875Z\" fill=\"#005EB8\"><\/path>\r\n          <\/svg>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <h3 id=\"approve-your-renters\">Approve your renters<\/h3>\r\n        <p>You're in control. Approve who rents and the hours of access.<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"service-option\">\r\n        <div class=\"service-option-icon\">\r\n          <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"60\" height=\"60\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" fill=\"none\">\r\n            <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M31.2776 51.9974L31.7666 51.5417C32.0789 51.2503 32.527 50.8317 33.0706 50.3224C34.1576 49.3041 35.6276 47.9224 37.158 46.4698C40.1682 43.6127 43.5576 40.3461 44.596 39.1282C46.7163 36.6414 48.1719 33.6468 48.8127 30.4251C49.5529 26.704 49.173 22.847 47.7211 19.3418C46.2692 15.8366 43.8105 12.8407 40.6559 10.7329C37.5015 8.62514 33.7942 7.5 30.0001 7.5C26.2061 7.5 22.4973 8.62504 19.3428 10.7329C16.1882 12.8407 13.7295 15.8366 12.2776 19.3418C10.8257 22.847 10.4458 26.704 11.186 30.4251C11.8268 33.6468 13.2824 36.6414 15.4027 39.1282C16.4411 40.3462 19.831 43.6128 22.8415 46.4698C24.3721 47.9224 25.8422 49.3042 26.9294 50.3225C27.4731 50.8318 27.9212 51.2504 28.2336 51.5418L28.723 51.9979C29.4428 52.6672 30.5579 52.6668 31.2776 51.9974ZM28.723 51.9979C28.723 51.9979 28.7232 51.998 30.0001 50.625L28.723 51.9979ZM30.0001 50.625L31.2776 51.9974C31.2776 51.9974 31.2771 51.9979 30.0001 50.625ZM30 32.8125C33.6243 32.8125 36.5625 29.8744 36.5625 26.25C36.5625 22.6256 33.6243 19.6875 30 19.6875C26.3756 19.6875 23.4375 22.6256 23.4375 26.25C23.4375 29.8744 26.3756 32.8125 30 32.8125Z\" fill=\"#005EB8\"><\/path>\r\n          <\/svg>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <h3 id=\"get-paid-monthly\">Get paid monthly<\/h3>\r\n        <p>Sit back and collect automatic payments each month.<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/section>\r\n    <footer>\r\n      <button>Learn more about hosting <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\">\r\n          <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M18.8304 5.17619L4.55227 11.6663H11.1779C11.8199 11.6663 12.3404 12.1867 12.3404 12.8288V19.4543L18.8304 5.17619ZM19.029 3.43822C20.0069 2.99374 21.0129 3.9997 20.5684 4.97757L13.0612 21.4935C12.5438 22.6316 10.8404 22.2627 10.8404 21.0124V13.1663H2.99417C1.74398 13.1663 1.37497 11.4628 2.51312 10.9455L19.029 3.43822Z\" fill=\"#EFF5F8\"><\/path>\r\n        <\/svg><\/button>\r\n    <\/footer>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/a>\n  <\/div><\/body><\/html><h2 id=\"most-people-who-still-have-an-exs-items-are-in-a-new-relationship-now\">Most People Who Still Have an Ex&rsquo;s Items Are in a New Relationship Now<\/h2>\n<p>Of the respondents who said they&rsquo;ve held onto an ex&rsquo;s things, more than half said they&rsquo;re now in a new relationship: 33% are married, 19% are in a committed relationship, and 10% are engaged.<\/p>\n<p><img  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8492 size-full pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Most People Who Still Have an Ex's Items Are in a New Relationship Now\"  width=\"951\"  height=\"512\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-ls-sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/04-neighbor-relationship-relics.png\"  data-pk-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/04-neighbor-relationship-relics.png 951w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/04-neighbor-relationship-relics-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/04-neighbor-relationship-relics-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/04-neighbor-relationship-relics-380x205.png 380w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/04-neighbor-relationship-relics-550x296.png 550w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/04-neighbor-relationship-relics-800x431.png 800w\" ><\/p>\n<p>Of those who are now in a new relationship, most say they don&rsquo;t keep items from a past secret &mdash; 66% said their current partner knows that they have an item from an ex. In fact, 63% said that while their partner may or may not know, they aren&rsquo;t purposefully keeping it a secret while a surprising 37% of respondents who have an item from a past relationship say that they intentionally keep it hidden from their current partner.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"we-hold-onto-exes-things-because-of-the-memories\">We Hold Onto Exes&rsquo; Things Because of the Memories<\/h2>\n<p><img  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8493 size-full pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"We Hold Onto Exes' Things Because of the Memories\"  width=\"951\"  height=\"772\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-ls-sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/05-neighbor-relationship-relics.png\"  data-pk-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/05-neighbor-relationship-relics.png 951w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/05-neighbor-relationship-relics-300x244.png 300w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/05-neighbor-relationship-relics-768x623.png 768w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/05-neighbor-relationship-relics-380x308.png 380w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/05-neighbor-relationship-relics-550x446.png 550w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/05-neighbor-relationship-relics-800x649.png 800w\" ><\/p>\n<p>When we asked our survey respondents <em>why<\/em>&nbsp;they still have mementos from old relationships or belongings from exes, nearly half (44%) said it&rsquo;s because the item(s) hold fond memories, even if they don&rsquo;t miss their ex. Some other reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>38% said the items they&rsquo;ve kept are functional.<\/li>\n<li>30% said the old belongings were part of a defining chapter in their lives.<\/li>\n<li>25% said the item or items were expensive, and they&rsquo;d feel silly getting rid of them.<\/li>\n<li>Another 25% admitted that they keep these things because they miss their ex.<\/li>\n<li>Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) said that despite keeping an item from a past relationship, they just don&rsquo;t care enough to throw it away or get rid of it.<\/li>\n<li>17% said they actually plan on giving the item back to their ex&hellip; but no word on <em>when<\/em>they plan to do so.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<html><body><div id=\"2_in_post\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/host\" onclick=\"rudderanalytics.track('press editorial cta button', {location: 'second in post', version: '2.0'}, () =&gt; { console.log('track call'); });\">\r\n  <div class=\"second-in-post-cta\">\r\n    <section>\r\n      <div class=\"service-option\">\r\n        <h2 id=\"earn-1000s-per-year-with-your-unused-space\">Earn $1,000s per year with your unused space<\/h2>\r\n        <button>Become a Neighbor host<\/button>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/section>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/a>\n  <\/div><\/body><\/html><h2 id=\"most-people-want-to-get-rid-of-relationship-relics-someday\">Most People Want to Get Rid of Relationship Relics&hellip; &ldquo;Someday&rdquo;<\/h2>\n<p>When asked whether they want to get rid of their old items from past relationships, 54% of people said yes. But when? They&rsquo;re less sure about that. 78% of respondents just said &ldquo;Someday,&rdquo; while the other 22% would be willing to get rid of those belongings right away.<\/p>\n<p>Of the respondents who said they&rsquo;d like to get rid of their relationship relics, 48% said it&rsquo;s because the item creates extra clutter in their space. The next reason, 40%, was because the item reminds them of their ex in a painful way.<\/p>\n<p>Then there are the 46% of respondents who said they don&rsquo;t want to get rid of those items at all. It&rsquo;s clear that for many people, belongings from past relationships are in their lives to stay.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"men-are-more-likely-to-keep-every-kind-of-relationship-relic\">Men Are More Likely to Keep Every Kind of Relationship Relic<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most surprising findings from this survey is that men seem to be more sentimental about belongings than women. 68% of men reported that they still have an item that used to belong to an ex, compared to only 62% of women.<\/p>\n<p>The most common item for men to keep was love letters and cards (54% reported having those), followed by printed photos and photo albums (45% said they&rsquo;d kept those). Men were also more likely to still have an engagement ring that once belonged to an ex &mdash; 28% reported still having a ring, compared to 25% of respondents overall and just 21% of women.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, men reported keeping old items from relationships at a higher rate than women for every item listed on the survey:<\/p>\n<p><img  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8494 size-full pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Men Are More Likely to Keep Every Kind of Relationship Relic\"  width=\"951\"  height=\"1352\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-ls-sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics.png\"  data-pk-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics.png 951w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics-211x300.png 211w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics-720x1024.png 720w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics-768x1092.png 768w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics-380x540.png 380w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics-550x782.png 550w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/06-neighbor-relationship-relics-800x1137.png 800w\" ><\/p>\n<p>However, women appear to hold onto these items longer &mdash; 50% of women say they still have an item from a relationship that was more than 5 years ago, compared to just 36% of men.<\/p>\n<p>As for the sentiment attached to these relics, men are more likely to keep old items because they miss their ex, but also more likely to have painful memories triggered by seeing those items. Men are also more likely to hide their relationship relics from their current partner.<\/p>\n<p><img  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8495 pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"\"  width=\"951\"  height=\"733\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-ls-sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/07-neighbor-relationship-relics.png\"  data-pk-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/07-neighbor-relationship-relics.png 951w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/07-neighbor-relationship-relics-300x231.png 300w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/07-neighbor-relationship-relics-768x592.png 768w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/07-neighbor-relationship-relics-380x293.png 380w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/07-neighbor-relationship-relics-550x424.png 550w, https:\/\/www.neighbor.com\/storage-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/07-neighbor-relationship-relics-800x617.png 800w\" ><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-bedroom-is-the-most-common-place-to-store-relationship-relics\">The Bedroom is the Most Common Place to Store Relationship Relics<\/h2>\n<p>Out of sight, out of mind? Not the case for most of the items people keep from their past relationships. 24% of survey respondents reported that the most common place they keep their relationship relics is in the bedroom. The next most popular spots were in a closet (22%) and in the basement (14%). Hey, we&rsquo;re a storage platform &mdash;&nbsp;we had to ask.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"survey-methodology\">Survey Methodology<\/h2>\n<p>We surveyed 1,000 Americans on Jan. 13, 2022, using Pollfish.com. To qualify for the survey, respondents had to have been in a past romantic relationship that has ended.<\/p>\n<p>Survey respondents were 51% female and 49% male. They ranged in age from 16 to 55+, with the highest number of respondents being aged 25-45.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Valentine&#8217;s Day right around the corner, many of us might find ourselves reflecting on past loves.\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":8489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_appearance_grid":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lifestyle","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>2 Out of 3 U.S. Adults Still Have an Item from an Ex or Past Relationship - 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