Couples Who Meet Online May Be More Likely to Divorce

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in DuPage County divorce lawyer

Online dating may seem like the Holy Grail when it comes to ending an unwanted single existence and finding a mate that is specifically tailored to your interests and likes. And for years, online dating may have seemed as such to single people across the country; it is an easy, inexpensive way to meet a lot of potential mates at one time. Many online dating sites advertise that they are better than traditional interactions in helping you select a person with whom to spend your life; many have complicated algorithms that pair up users based on compatibility formulas developed by psychologists and relationship experts. Yet according to a recent study, online dating may just lead to divorce.

A new study written by Aditi Paul, a PhD candidate at Michigan State University, found that couples who met online are more likely to break up than couples who meet offline. The survey was made up of responses from nearly 3,000 people. Over the course of her research, Paul found that 32 percent of couples surveyed that met online had broken up, as opposed with 23 percent of offline couples.

Paul has several speculations as to why this is. The stigma of online dating is certainly one of them, but there are deeper psychological factors as well. One could be that because the couple selected each other online, out of a large pool of people to choose from, there is always the factor that there could be someone else in the back of each person’s mind.

Not only does online dating allegedly lend itself to more break-ups; couples who meet online may be less likely to get married in the first place. “Only 32 percent of people who met their partners online were hitched, while 67 percent of people who met their partners offline got married,” according to the study.

If you or someone you know is considering divorce, no matter how you got together, the most important step is to seek legal counsel. Contact an experienced DuPage County divorce attorney today.