Why Online Relationships Work

by Lynn Gerino

You know someone who has met online?

Why are they still together?

If you were to talk to your friends you would probably find someone you or your friends knows has had success meeting online or at a speed dating event. We all hear stories about the couple who met online in a chatroom and chatted for a few months or maybe a year or longer and finally met, fell in love and have been together ever since. Do you ever wonder why a relationship that developed online seems so strong?

There is evidence that suggests that when people meet online tend to communicate with one another better. What have marriage counselors been trying to tell us for years about communicating with our spouses and partners? It is true that communication or rather the lack thereof is the root of many failed romances. It only makes sense that online dating and chatroom romances that start as simple chat among singles or casual friends establishes a good foundation in that it builds communication skills. A relationship based on good communication is more likely to succeed because those months of chatting have built that undeniable thread that is necessary to tie us together at a level that seems to be missing in our busy lifestyles.

In our busy society, relationships that we develop often suffer. Friendships tend to be shallow and superficial. We don't take the time to really learn about one another. Getting to know one another through communication builds a stronger bond between friends and potential lovers. We are genetically wired to behave the way we do. Men are problem solvers. You have a problem they would just as soon break their neck as to talk to someone who may have had the same problem before and had successfully navigated around it.

Ladies, you know exactly what I'm talking about. All you have to do is remember that last road trip you took together. Did he ever stop to ask for directions or did he use a tank of gas driving around looking for that elusive destination? On the other hand ladies we are guilty also. We love to talk, gossip, and talk some more. I don't know about you but I have found myself in certain uncomfortable predicaments before that could have been avoided if I had just stopped to think about what I was going to say before I said it. If you can't always remember to think before speaking you can always count on your significant other to fix any problems that arise.