A man explored how the language used in texts changed throughout his five-year relationship to better understand what led to its end.
Relationships often play a significant role in our lives, and the end of a long-term relationship can be particularly challenging to cope with.
This individual decided to share his findings on Reddit, analyzing the words used in their conversations over the years.
He utilized this data to create a word cloud, incorporating texts, social media DMs, and other popular communication channels, with the most frequently used words appearing larger.
In today’s world, daily text exchanges are crucial for couples, whether it be a simple ‘I love you’, a reminder to pick up groceries, or more personal interactions.
The Reddit user chose to post in the DataisBeautiful thread, realizing the potential of uncovering valuable insights from this data, potentially shedding light on why the relationship dissolved after five years.
He was particularly interested in determining when the relationship began to deteriorate.
So, what did he discover? Let’s examine the evolution year by year.
In the initial image, titled ‘Year 1: We Met online’, the standout words are relatively casual, such as ‘haha’, ‘food’, ‘weekend’, and ‘yeah’. These words may reflect the early dating phase.
This image was labeled ‘We moved in together’, with ‘haha’ and ‘good’ remaining prominent, indicating a positive phase. Additionally, words like ‘baby’ and ‘morning’ emerged, illustrating growing intimacy alongside everyday terms like ‘work’.
In the third image, labeled ‘bliss’, their relationship appeared to settle into a loving phase. Words like ‘love’ were prominent, along with ‘lunch’ and ‘pizza’, indicating shared joyful moments. ‘Amazon’ also appeared, perhaps indicative of shared interests or activities.
During their fourth year, the relationship seemed to be thriving as they became engaged. Words such as pet names like ‘bub’, ‘amazing’, and ‘dinner’ were frequent, reinforcing the stereotype that couples often discuss dining plans. ‘Movie’ also emerged, suggesting shared leisure activities.
The fifth image was titled ‘Year 5: She demanded a third move, then she kicked me out’.
Although the specific circumstances are unclear, the words from this year had a somewhat cooler tone. Terms such as ‘okay’ and ‘good’ appeared similar but might have been used in a different context, alongside the subtly significant ‘hopefully’.
There was another word cloud for the period after their separation, titled ‘Year 6: We tried to resolve things, then catastrophe struck’.
At this stage, the words conveyed a more serious tone, lacking the warmth of earlier years. Common words included ‘want’, ‘know’, ‘just’, ‘sure’, ‘yeah’, ‘think’, and ‘okay’, in addition to ‘sorry’.
In the final image, the user compiled the most frequently used words throughout the relationship.
The most common words included: ‘okay’, ‘haha’, ‘good’, and ‘baby’.
Many individuals were moved by these images, while others noted that, although texting is a significant part of communication between couples, it doesn’t capture the entirety of their interactions.
One commenter remarked: “Texting is either random I love you throughout the day or can you get this while you are out with ya, or ok as a response.”