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Dating apps don't destroy love, Swiss study shows

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/12/30/apps.jpg"/><figcaption>Smartphone apps like Tinder and Bumble are largely based on rating photos with a swipe review system.</figcaption></figure></div><p>GENEVA - Contrary to warnings that dating apps are encouraging superficial and short-lived flings over true romance, a Swiss study showed Wednesday that app users were more likely to be seeking long-term relationships.</p><p>Mobile apps have revolutionized the way people meet around the world, and are quickly becoming the main way couples form in many countries.</p><p>Unlike traditional dating sites, which require detailed user profiles, smartphone apps like Tinder and Grindr are largely based on rating photos with a swipe review system.</p><p>This has raised fears about the impact on the ways we interact, fall in love and create lasting connections.</p><p>But a study conducted at the University of Geneva (UNIG), and published in the PLOS ONE journal, indicates that app-formed couples actually have stronger &quot;cohabitation intentions&quot; than couples who meet offline.</p><p>&quot;Large parts of the media claim they have a negative impact on the quality of relationships since they render people incapable of investing in an exclusive or long-term relationship,&quot; report author Gina Potarca, a researcher at UNIG&#x27;s the Institute of Demography and Socioeconomics, said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;Up to now, though, there has been no evidence to prove this is the case.&quot; </p><p>Potarca used a 2018 family survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, analyzing responses from over 3,000 people who were in a relationship and had met their partner in the past decade.</p><p>Her analysis showed that couples who met through an app were more motivated by the idea of living together than others.</p><p>&quot;The study doesn’t say whether their final intention was to live together for the long- or short-term,&quot; she said, adding though that since expressed desire to marry remained high across the board, &quot;some of these couples likely see cohabitation as a trial period prior to marriage.&quot;</p><p>The study also found that couples formed via dating apps expressed stronger desires and intentions to have children than others.</p><p>Couples who met through dating apps meanwhile also expressed the same level of satisfaction about their relationships as those who met their partners through more traditional means.</p><p>Potarca said the findings were especially encouraging at a time when the coronavirus pandemic continues to place traditional dating out of reach for many.</p><p>&quot;Knowing that dating apps have likely become even more popular during this year&#x27;s periods of lockdown and social distancing, it is reassuring to dismiss alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools,&quot; she said.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AI3kaywPfqw?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>GENEVA - Contrary to warnings that dating apps are encouraging superficial and short-lived flings over true romance, a Swiss study showed Wednesday that app users were more likely to be seeking long-term relationships.</p>

GENEVA - Contrary to warnings that dating apps are encouraging superficial and short-lived flings over true romance, a Swiss study showed Wednesday that app users were more likely to be seeking long-term relationships.