ThomasD Posted June 11, 2013 Posted June 11, 2013 A recent scientific study suggests that couples who initially meet via online methods tend to have more satisfying and longer-lasting marriages. Some researchers speculate that people who look for partners online are more likely to be intentionally searching for a long-term relationship, than those who use random, casual, methods. See "Marriages Forged on the Internet May Last Longer " at http://www.lifelinescreening.com/health-updates/healthy-you/general-health-and-wellness/marriages-forged-on-the-internet-may-last-longer.aspx?SourceCD=LETT-945 (The study itself is published as "Marital satisfaction and break-ups differ across on-line and off-line meeting venues" at http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=marriage&submit=yes&x=0&y=0 ) I'm posting this more for general discussion rather than a particular question or problem of mine - though the title originally caught my attention because my own long-term marriage started with a sight-unseen relationship similar to an internet "Long Distance Relationship" (LDR). Of course, not all internet meetings are LDR. I could speculate that internet meetings may be more inclined toward early consideration of the character and personality traits related to long-term stability, rather than the physical attraction that initially motivates many in-person meetings. What are your thoughts or comments?
Els Posted June 11, 2013 Posted June 11, 2013 Uh, my initial reaction is that I wish people would stop making (and publishing) studies like these. It turns the world of academic rigor into a lot of speculation and hocus pocus, and doesn't do well for the reputation of academia. But then, I realize that I sound a lot like an elitist bitch when I go on about that, so I shall not talk further about this. My personal anecdote, and guesswork, would be that their hypothesis is true to a certain extent. Two reasons for this: Firstly, making LDRs work takes commitment. A helluva lot of it, unless you are very rich, very lucky, very close by, or all three. The personality type of people who persist through a LDR of a few years, tends to be very tenacious, and they may hold on through bad times in relationships longer than the average person (whether that is a good or bad thing, is open to interpretation). Second reason being your speculation, but I don't think OLD sites necessarily correspond to this - many people who frequent OLD sites filter based on pictures alone. I would not say that there is any reason they would have 'more satisfying' relationships, though. Satisfaction is in the eye of the beholder, as opposed to length, which is a more concrete yardstick. 3
tbf Posted June 11, 2013 Posted June 11, 2013 Uh, my initial reaction is that I wish people would stop making (and publishing) studies like these. It turns the world of academic rigor into a lot of speculation and hocus pocus, and doesn't do well for the reputation of academia. But then, I realize that I sound a lot like an elitist bitch when I go on about that, so I shall not talk further about this. I'd give you 15 likes for this part but vBulletin only allows one. In the new study, eHarmony, an online dating service, commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online survey of more than 19,000 people in the United States who were married to members of the opposite sex between 2005 and 2012. Independent statisticians verified the results of the survey.Notice who's funding this "study"? Wonder if there's any agenda. Also notice that this isn't a real study. It's statistics massaged from an online survey. 4
Author ThomasD Posted June 11, 2013 Author Posted June 11, 2013 (The study itself is published as "Marital satisfaction and break-ups differ across on-line and off-line meeting venues" at http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=marriage&submit=yes&x=0&y=0 ) I screwed up! The correct link to the full published study is: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/05/31/1222447110.full.pdf+html?sid=a2253c3a-651a-4cf1-a88b-8098fcaf694d (The Forum software won't let me correct my original post).
Author ThomasD Posted June 11, 2013 Author Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) Notice who's funding this "study"? Wonder if there's any agenda. I have the same reservations about the sponsorship. Also notice that this isn't a real study. It's statistics massaged from an online survey. As for being a "real study", it IS published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Science", which I believe is a reputable peer-reviewed journal. My unsubstantiated impression is that the majority of things done in the social sciences (as well as the medical study, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders) is based on statistical treatments of surveys, questionaires, interviews, etc. rather than physical quantities such as a physicist or chemist would measure. Like Elswyth, I wish the title "Social Sciences" was constructed from different words. Edited June 11, 2013 by ThomasD
ChessPieceFace Posted June 11, 2013 Posted June 11, 2013 Could be a ton of factors behind this, including this depressing possibility: people who have turned to the internet for dating have lowered their standards & lost hope in general, and this "longer marriage" statistic could be due to the people "settling" more easily and believing they won't find anything better. And even if this isn't the case, and the internet marriages are better, it still doesn't mean internet dating is better. I hear mostly horror stories about online dating, clowns with behavioral problems and wacky ideas about what is normal. (Made-up example statistics ahead...) What if the odds of finding someone compatible through internet dating are 80% less than other methods, but the upshot is that of the relationships that DO progress to marriage, the marriages last 10% longer. Is it still worth your time? Helps to have ALL the numbers.
boaaaar Posted June 11, 2013 Posted June 11, 2013 Notice who's funding this "study"? Wonder if there's any agenda. Also notice that this isn't a real study. It's statistics massaged from an online survey.Agreed. Also, notice the "Marriages Forged on the Internet MAY Last Longer". While they heavily suggest that the internet should be a good option for people seeking marriage, it looks like they have already taken caution against possibly upcoming counter-studies or criticism towards their methodology and used some clever wording to soften the incoming blow.
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