当前位置: Language Tips> 新闻播报

One-third of US marriages start online

中国日报网 2013-06-05 10:36

分享到

 

Get Flash Player

Download

More than one-third of US marriages begin with online dating, and those couples may be slightly happier than couples who meet in other ways, a US study said on Monday.

Online dating has ballooned into a billion-dollar industry and the Internet "may be altering the dynamics and outcome of marriage itself", said the study by US researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research is based on a nationally representative survey of 19,131 people who married between 2005 and 2012.

"We found evidence for a dramatic shift since the advent of the Internet in how people are meeting their spouse," said the study, led by John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago's Department of Psychology.

People who reported meeting their spouse online tended to be 30 to 49 years old and in higher income brackets than those who met their spouses offline, the survey found.

Of those who did not meet online, nearly 22 percent met through work, 19 percent through friends, 9 percent at a bar or club, and 4 percent at church, the study said.

When researchers looked at how many couples had divorced by the end of the survey period, they found that 5.96 percent of online married couples had broken up, compared with 7.67 percent of offline married couples.

The difference remained statistically significant even after controlling for variables like year of marriage, sex, age, education, ethnicity, household income, religion and employment status.

Among couples who were still married during the survey, those who met online reported higher marital satisfaction - an average score of 5.64 on a satisfaction survey -than those who met offline and averaged 5.48.

The lowest satisfaction rates were reported by people who met through family, work, bars or clubs, or blind dates.

"These data suggest that the Internet may be altering the dynamics and outcomes of marriage itself," Cacioppo said.

"It is possible that individuals who met their spouse online may be different in personality, motivation to form a long-term marital relationship, or some other factor."

But not all experts believe that online dating translates into instant bliss.

Eli Finkel, a professor of social psychology at Northwestern University, led an extensive review of the science published about online dating last year.

He said he agreed with the proportions found in the PNAS study. His research showed about 35 percent of relationships now start online.

"The overreach occurs when the authors conclude that meeting a partner online is better than meeting a partner through offline avenues," Finkel said.

"Nobody's surprised when a minuscule effect reaches statistical significance with a sample of 20,000 people, but it's important that we don't misunderstand 'statistical significance' to mean 'practical significance'."

According to New York City psychologist and author Vivian Diller, the seven-year study was too short to assess the long-term outcomes of relationships that begin online.

"Success in marriage is largely about how you negotiate differences, not just compatibility," she said, adding that online dating can raise expectations and result in greater unhappiness.

"I find that younger people who use online dating seem to use it more as a playground, especially guys looking at profiles of young women. They look at it as an opportunity to meet as many people as possible, and women fatigue of that."

(中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑)

One-third of US marriages start online

About the broadcaster:

One-third of US marriages start online

Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.

 

分享到

中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883561联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。

中国日报网双语新闻

扫描左侧二维码

添加Chinadaily_Mobile
你想看的我们这儿都有!

中国日报双语手机报

点击左侧图标查看订阅方式

中国首份双语手机报
学英语看资讯一个都不能少!

关注和订阅

本文相关阅读
人气排行
热搜词
 
精华栏目
 

阅读

词汇

视听

翻译

口语

合作

 

关于我们 | 联系方式 | 招聘信息

Copyright by chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved. None of this material may be used for any commercial or public use. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 版权声明:本网站所刊登的中国日报网英语点津内容,版权属中国日报网所有,未经协议授权,禁止下载使用。 欢迎愿意与本网站合作的单位或个人与我们联系。

电话:8610-84883645

传真:8610-84883500

Email: languagetips@chinadaily.com.cn