Why women love a good breakup anthem by Taylor Swift

Hi! I’m Katie, and I’m a cultural and social psychologist—but you can think of me as your BFF with a PhD. I live in the desert of Texas alongside the cacti, roadrunners, and horned lizards. If you’re looking to understand your inner landscape and the whirlwind of the world around you, I hope you find something of value here. Make sure to subscribe—and you won’t miss a beat! Thank you so much for being here.

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Have you ever wondered why you can’t get enough of Taylor Swift’s breakup anthems?

Whether you’re single, recently unhitched, or in a satisfying, committed relationship, you may find yourself on a Friday night, dancing ‘round the kitchen in the refrigerator light with headphones on and heartbreak raging, when that breakup ballad shows up on shuffle.

Her odes to breakups and the heartache that comes from them has the tendency to get us all.

Browse TikTok for “happily married but still scream singing Taylor Swift”, and you’ll find countless women belting out the lyrics of songs like Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version), Enchanted (Taylor’s Version), and “s It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version).

There’s just something about them that clenches our heartstrings and won’t let go.

So, what is it about Taylor Swift’s breakup ballads that gets all of us—single and betrothed alike—grabbing the closest slotted spoon, dropping our heads back in true Taylor fashion, and singing at the top of our lungs?

What is the psychology behind why we all love a good breakup anthem by Taylor Swift?

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