Flaunting your love on Facebook indicates your relationship is strong

By MiNDFOOD

Image: Thinkstock
Image: Thinkstock
Loved-up selfies and being Facebook official for couples means their love will go the distance, according to new study

Some couples inundate our Facebook feeds with cute, and sometimes sickening photos documenting their love. Others believe keeping it sacred is the way to go.

According to scientists, the over-sharers are winning in the healthy relationship stakes. A study found that couples willing to put their love on show in the social media sphere have commitment in spades.

Coining the term public commitment theory, the researchers found that if you’re listed as in a relationship, write on your partner’s wall and post loved-up couple pictures on Facebook, you are more likely to remain together.

Focus groups made up of 212 undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in close, dating relationships spilled the beans on how social media affirms their togetherness.

One participant stated that being an active and visible couple on Facebook is the ‘‘ultimate form of PDA, cause everyone can see it.’’

According to the findings, if you proudly declare your relationship status, as ‘Facebook official’ you are showing you are “more committed and satisfied”.

The number of tagged photographs of the couple, and how often each participant commented on their partner’s page were also taken into account for the study.

The authors Catalina Toma and Mina Choi concluded that claims people make about themselves publicly actually influence their perceptions of themselves.

Describing the public self-presentation rituals afforded by Facebook, Toma said, “People declare their love, they make vows in front of friends and family, they take photographs, and they exchange rings,” she said. “Online claims are very meaningful psychologically, and I think a big reason for that is the access to this diverse and wide audience.”

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