Do dating app users have relationships that are just as strong as those who meet in person? Study yields surprise findings
Meeting on a dating app isn’t a dilemma.
A study published in the journal Social Sciences has determined that those who match on dating apps can have romances that are just as strong as those who meet in person.
Researchers surveyed 233 college students about their relationship experiences to determine if how couples meet impacts the quality of their relationship.
In the end, they discovered no significant differences based on whether relationships were initiated online or face-to-face.
“The results of this study show that there were no statistical differences in relationship satisfaction based on how people formed a relationship,” study author Mickey Langlais, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Sciences and Design at Baylor University told PsyPost.
“Those who met their current (and former) romantic partner face-to-face experienced similar levels of satisfaction compared to those who met their partner on a dating application.”
In today’s digital age, most couples meet online and a report found that the majority of users (63%) created a dating profile with the intention of starting a serious relationship.
And yet, some people are still ashamed about how they met — with some couples even lying about how they met.
“I think people are embarrassed [that] they were looking for love,” dating expert Talia Koren previously told The Post, even if dressing up and going out on the prowl IRL is just as intentional.
But as swiping on dating apps is now the norm for most singles, the embarrassment seems to be fading.
“During the process of revising this article, the negative stigma around dating applications seems to have diminished, and the results of this study contribute to why people are less likely to see dating applications as taboo or embarrassing,” Langlais said.
However, the researchers noted that only a limited group was surveyed and college students may have differing opinions on dating apps compared to the general public — online dating has always been more common for younger generations.
So whether your first words were typed out or spoken aloud, you’re just as likely to have a happily ever after.
