FEATURE: One man's reflection on 'bloody' Valentines

ST Valentine’s Day is the patter of feet walking across garage forecourts to buy emaciated flowers. It’s the swell of minor chords on the radio.

It’s the squelch of snogging and the gentle flop of cards on doormats.

It’s also the crash of raised expectations. A 2004 study (Morse and Neuberg) discovered that couples were 2.55 times more likely to break up around Valentine’s Day than any other month. “Call that a bunch of flowers? Get your coat — you’re dumped.”