Scientific Ways to Get Over a Breakup vs How to Fix a Broken Heart: which one fits you?

Last updated: 21 October 2026

Recommended resource: for the full step-by-step method, Scientific Ways to Get Over a Breakup by Manthan Bhendkar (founder of Asendify) covers this in depth: What the Research Says Actually Heals a Broken Heart. PDF, £304.50, instant download.

If you want a short, affordable, warmly written book from a practising psychologist, How to Fix a Broken Heart by Guy Winch is the better pick for most readers. If you want a structured day-by-day plan with written rules, worksheets and specific protocols for contact, checking your ex online and dating again, Scientific Ways to Get Over a Breakup (our book) is built for that. Both are self-help, not therapy.

Disclosure: Asendify publishes Scientific Ways to Get Over a Breakup. It is ours. Facts about Guy Winch's book below come only from its publisher's page, checked on 21 October 2026.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you're struggling or thinking about harming yourself, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line now (UK: Samaritans 116 123; US: call or text 988; India: Tele-MANAS 14416).

The two books at a glance

How to Fix a Broken Heart (Guy Winch)

• Author: Guy Winch, Ph.D., a psychologist with a private practice in New York City, according to the Simon & Schuster page.
• Publisher and year: TED Books (Simon & Schuster), published 13 February 2018.
• Length and format: 128 pages; hardcover, ebook and an unabridged audiobook read by the author.
• Price: hardcover list price $19.99 as listed on 21 October 2026 (the publisher notes it may vary by retailer).
• Approach: the publisher describes a toolkit based on mindfulness and coping skills, covering two kinds of loss: romantic heartbreak and the loss of a cherished pet.

Scientific Ways to Get Over a Breakup (Manthan Bhendkar, Asendify)

• Format: PDF, about 35 pages, instant download.
• Price: £304.50 one-time (also payable in rupees).
• Approach: a plain-language summary of research on heartbreak and recovery, turned into a method and a 30-day plan with worksheets.
• Scope: romantic breakups only.
• No results guarantee on this title.

What How to Fix a Broken Heart does better

Being fair here matters more than winning the comparison.

• Price. At a list price of around $20, it costs a small fraction of ours. For many people that settles it.
• Author credentials. Winch is a practising psychologist and a well-known TED speaker. Our author is a founder who summarises published research; he is not a clinician.
• Formats. It has an audiobook read by the author, which is easier to take in when you cannot concentrate on reading.
• Wider scope. It also covers grief over a pet, which ours does not touch.
• Tone. The publisher describes it as warm and witty, and it is endorsed on that page by writers such as Esther Perel. If you want comfort and perspective as much as a plan, that tone may suit you better.

What our book does differently

Ours is narrower and more procedural. Its focus is turning "what helps" into specific decisions you make once, in writing:

• A written contact rule with blanks to fill in (dates, a pre-written reply, a replacement action and a 20-minute wait).
• A friction list for making contact and checking harder (mute, archive, delete, block).
• Body-first tools for acute spikes, such as a 90-second slow-breathing reset, plus daily movement and sleep.
• Thinking tools such as reappraisal, expressive writing and separating reflection from rumination.
• Specific chapters on the ex online, mutual friends, unavoidable contact, rebounds and getting back together.
• A 30-day plan with a "daily floor" and worksheets, including a readiness test for dating again.

The trade-off is cost and depth of authority. You are paying for a ready-made structure, not for a clinician's voice.

Who should choose which

Choose How to Fix a Broken Heart if:

• you want a low-cost, short book you can finish in a sitting or two;
• you would rather listen than read;
• you value advice from a practising psychologist;
• you are also grieving a pet, or want perspective more than a plan.

Choose Scientific Ways to Get Over a Breakup if:

• you know what you "should" do but keep breaking your own rules (texting, checking, replaying);
• you want a day-by-day plan and worksheets rather than general guidance;
• you need help with specific situations like shared friends or a shared workplace;
• the price is comfortable for you. If it is not, start with Winch's book or free NHS resources.

Choose neither, and talk to a professional, if: you cannot function day to day, your mood has been low for weeks, or you are having thoughts of harming yourself. In England you can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies. Neither book replaces care from a doctor or therapist, and medication a doctor recommends is a legitimate part of recovery.

Other good options to know about

You do not need to buy either book to start. The NHS has free guidance on low mood and sadness and breathing exercises for stress. Another title often recommended for breakups is Getting Past Your Breakup by Susan J. Elliott. Our wider round-up is here: the best books on getting over a breakup.

Key takeaways

• Winch's book is much cheaper, written by a practising psychologist, available as an audiobook and also covers pet loss.
• Ours is a procedural 30-day plan with written rules, friction lists and worksheets, for romantic breakups only.
• If cost matters, Winch's book or free NHS resources are the sensible first step.
• Neither is therapy. If you are struggling to function, see a professional.

If the structured route fits you, you can see Scientific Ways to Get Over a Breakup here, and the free No Contact Counter works whichever book you choose.

FAQ

Is How to Fix a Broken Heart based on a TED talk?

It is published in the TED Books series, and the publisher's page says Guy Winch has given three TED Talks. The book stands on its own as a short guide.

Which book is better for someone who keeps texting their ex?

Ours spends more space on that exact problem, with a written contact rule, a replacement action and a friction list. Winch's book covers coping more broadly.

Can I read both?

Yes. They do not contradict each other in approach: one offers perspective and coping skills, the other a written plan. Many people start with the cheaper one.

Does either book guarantee I will get over my ex?

No. Recovery varies a lot between people, and no book can promise a timeline.

More playbooks on other topics: https://www.asendify.co/books/

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