If you're on the lookout for a spouse, ladies and gentlemen, look no further than your computer. According to a latest study, couples who met online have higher levels of marital satisfaction and are less likely to split up than those who were first introduced in offline venues.
Researchers from the University of Chicago, Gestalt Research, and Harvard University published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Their study, "Marital satisfaction and break-ups differ across on-line and off-line meeting venues," revealed interesting data that suggests that "the Internet may be altering the dynamics and outcomes of marriage itself."
Researchers John T. Cacioppo, Stephanie Cacioppo, Gian C. Gonzaga, Elizabeth L. Ogburn, and Tyler J. VanderWeele found that from 2005 to 2012, over one-third of marriages in the U.S. began on the Internet. Their findings were based on a nationally representative data of 19,131 respondents married during that period. Of the 34.95 per cent of couples who met online, most of them (45.01 per cent) met through online dating sites like eHarmony and Match.com. Others met through other avenues like a social network (20.87 per cent); chat room (9.51 per cent); online community (6.18 per cent); instant messaging (4.64 per cent); multi-player game site (3.59 per cent); and email (2.04 per cent). A few also met through a message/blog site, a discussion group/posting board, and other sites.
Married couples who met online are less likely to end up in divorce, the research shows. Marital break-up among couples who met in traditional offline venues was pegged at 7.67 per cent compared to only 5.96 per cent of spouses who met online. Moreover, couples who met online and are still together reported slightly higher levels of marital satisfaction (5.64 out of 7) than those who began their romance offline (5.48 out of 7).
While further studies need to be conducted on what drives the apparent success of romances that start on the Internet, the researchers hypothesize that part of the reason could be the "larger pool of potential spouses" online which gave them a wider selection in "identifying a compatible partner." Another reason could also be the fact that there is greater self-disclosure among strangers online than in face-to-face meetings. The fact that those who visit online dating sites are motivated to "form a long-term marital relationship" is also another reason why matches made in Internet heaven are more likely to succeed.
As the use of the Internet gets more and more widespread each year, the study may just have revealed a possible solution to curbing the divorce rate and in making the Internet a more acceptable venue for meeting a future spouse.
By Nicel Jane Avellana, contributor at r/ally, the mobile collaboration platform that lets you socialize your goals.
