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The Real Reason You Can’t Stop Thinking About Someone Who Barely Texts You Back

Psychology suggests uncertainty, mixed signals, and unanswered questions can keep someone stuck in your head long after they deserve the space.

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Few things can turn an otherwise functional adult into an overthinking lunatic than an unanswered text. You check your phone, reread the conversation, decide you’re over it, then check again 11 minutes later. The cycle continues. It’s maddening. 

Writing in Psychology Today, researcher Cathleen Beachboard points to neuroscience that helps explain why certain people take up so much mental space. The brain is constantly trying to predict what happens next, using past behavior to make educated guesses about the people around us. Someone who behaves predictably is easier for the brain to process.........

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