Couples who met online are just as happy as couples who met in real life, according to a new study.
This new study, which was organized by a researcher at the University of Geneva, was published in the journal PLOS One on December 30, 2020. The study, titled “The Demography of Swiping Right: An Overview of Couples Who Met Through Dating Apps in Switzerland,” used data from a 2018 survey that covered 3,245 Swiss citizens. As the New York Post reports, the study found “no differences between couples initiated through dating apps and those initiated elsewhere regarding relationship and life satisfaction.”
Dating apps like Jack’d, Grindr, Scruff, Tinder, and company are often associated with casual sex and hookups more than relationships. Despite that, the study found that relationships originating from these apps are just as strong as relationships originating off the internet. This could be, in part, to expanding the reach of one’s romantic pursuits. The study found that more couples with different educational backgrounds have gotten together since dating apps became popular.
As study author Dr. Gina Potarca hypothesized in a press release, this increase in educational differences “may have to do with selection methods that focus mainly on the visual.” She’s guessing that app culture’s focus on emphasizing physical attraction has led to people overlooking other factors of potential lovers, like education.
“Knowing that dating apps have likely become even more popular during this year’s periods of lockdown and social distancing, it is reassuring to dismiss alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools,” Potarca concluded.
Source: New York Post,
