Everyone has heard the phrase before. Sometimes it appears when someone declines an invitation. Sometimes it comes up when someone is stepping away from a friendship, leaving a group project or setting personal boundaries. Other times, it simply appears during uncomfortable conversations. "It's not you, it's me."
The sentence has become so common that many people immediately dismiss it as an excuse. But psychology suggests something much deeper may be happening. People who frequently use this phrase are not necessarily being fake, manipulative or evasive.
