Dating can be brutal, but just meeting someone you want to go out with can feel impossible, which is why so many singles use dating apps. Sometimes the sparks fly and a match online is a keeper, but new research suggests meeting a mate on an app may not lead to living happily ever after.
Couples who meet on dating apps are less happy in their marriages than those who meet in the real world, according to a new study. Researchers with Arizona State University surveyed 923 married U.S. adults, half of whom had met their spouse on a dating site, while the other half met through friends, family, work, or at a club. Participants were asked questions like “How well does your spouse meet your needs?” and “How satisfied are you with your marriage?” to gauge happiness, as well as “Have you or your spouse ever seriously suggested the idea of divorce?” to determine stability.
It turns out, those who met their spouse online reported lower satisfaction and stability. So the big question is why, and researchers have a couple of ideas. Lead study author Liesel Sharabi suggests it could be because they feel judged over the way they met and get less “network approval,” or support and acceptance from loved ones than couples who meet the old fashioned way. But ASU researchers point out overall, levels of satisfaction and stability were “still quite high, regardless of how couples met.
Source: NY Post
Scott's Thoughts:
- Some people just don’t enjoy being married to each other, no matter how they met!
- Online dating came to be too late in my life for me to truly experience it.
- Dating apps are good for meeting people and creating relationships. But the true getting to know each other occurs in the real world. Give it time.