Can you find true love on the Internet?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Is it realistic to find your soul mate on social networks or on dating sites? This question has long worried not only those who are looking for a partner, but also scientists. And according to recent research, the internet hasn't turned out to be the best place for serious dating.

Researcher Aditi Paul from the University of Michigan compared how romantic relationships develop between people who met online and in real life. After analyzing the data from the How Couples Meet and Stay Together survey, which was attended by 2,923 people, he concluded that at the moment, most married couples began their relationship through a real-life acquaintance (67%). However, the indicator among those who met and registered a marriage thanks to the network is also not bad - 32%.

At the same time, the divorce rates differ markedly: within 3 years, 2% of couples who met in "real life" and 8% of those who met via the Internet broke up.

Edity Paul followed the development of those romantic relationships, the participants of which did not become legal husband and wife. According to his observations, 32% of couples broke up a year after they met on the Internet, while 25% of those who met in real life preferred to end the relationship.

According to the scientist, the data he received should not be considered unambiguous, since many factors affect the development of relations. But at the same time Paul notes that in most cases the seeming advantages of the features of social networks and sites can also become disadvantages: a large choice of a potential partner complicates the final decision, and user profiles do not always provide reliable information, as a result of which the level of trust in a new acquaintance decreases.