Breakup procrastination: dragging out a doomed relationship seems silly, not to mention agonizing, Cosmo looks at why people do it.(COSMO NEWS)(Brief article)

On November 23, 2005, America's favorite Newlyweds, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, announced They were separating after three years of marriage. But according to inside sources, their relationship really ended about a year prior to that. While Nick and Jess are hardly your average couple, it turns out that their split stalling is common. "Young couples who have been together for three or more years will typically put off a breakup for a year, even if they know it's inevitable," says psychologist Howard Halpern, PhD, author of How to Break Your Addiction to a Person.

The reasons for procrastinating are as varied as the couples who participate in it. For starters, there's the natural desire to delay the impending pain. "Not being able to support yourself financially and deciding who gets to keep the house or the dog or the mutual friends can be overwhelming," says Halpern. Also overwhelming is the idea that you'll never find anyone else and end up 'alone. Then there's the ...