A new study has shown that couples who meet online are more likely to break up than those who meet offline.
For their study, researchers from Michigan State University looked at data associated with 4,002 adults. Seventy-five percent of them were in a romantic relationship or were already married. The participants completed a survey detailing the quality of their relationships, expectations regarding getting married or having a romantic relationship, reasons behind breakups and other factors that may affect relationships.
"Even though a large percentage of marriages in recent years have resulted from couples meeting online, looking for partners online may potentially suppress the desire for getting married," wrote study author Dr. Aditi Paul.
The researchers found that those who met online and got married were three times more likely to separate or get divorced than those who met through conventinal face-to-face situations.
Further, those who found their partners through the Internet were also 28 percent more likely to break up with their partners during the first year of the relationship.
At least 60 percent of those who met online admitted they don't feel like their relationships are romantic or marital. The same couples explained that they hesitated marrying their partners because they felt that the relationship lacked significant elements of trust, commitment, and exclusivity.
"The time-tested qualities of trust and intimacy still remain important factors for determining whether a couple stays together, regardless of whether they meet offline or online," Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold of Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium and Interactive Media Institute said.
The results of the study contradicted the findings of an earlier study conducted by the University of Chicago that showed online relationships are more stable and less prone to break ups.
Further details of MSU study were published in the Sept. 29 issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
