Are relationships started online more likely to break up?

A new study titled “Is Online Better Than Offline for Meeting Partners? Depends: Are You Looking to Marry or to Date?” by Aditi Paul of Michigan State University’ has found that couples who meet through online dating are less likely to marry than those who meet offline and if they do marry, are more likely to split up.

The study used data from an earlier piece of research entitled “How Couples Meet and Stay Together” which surveyed over 4000 adults across the USA over four years.

In her paper, Paul says:

“Online daters know that they can easily look for other potential partners from the dating sites”

Dating sites give users knowledge about how many potential partners are out there – making them less willing to commit to marriage according to the study.

However don’t be downhearted – other studies conducted over the same time period suggest that those who meet online might actually be more likely to stay together!