If you are truly in love and making every effort to maintain a strong relationship, you do the obvious things. You respect your partner. You work hard to forge common and lasting interests. You support your significant other’s achievements. You are candid about goals, needs, money and other important matters.
And you stay off Facebook, or at least try to materially limit the time you spend interacting with that online social networking site.
Multiple studies flatly show that going even a little bit overboard on the amount of time spent on the site — checking it, updating, taking a look at what your partner is posting – is injurious to romantic relationships in many instances. One study from the United Kingdom revealed that excessive Facebook use featured materially in about one-third of all divorce filings in a recent year.
So, tread carefully.
A new study that will soon be released in the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking provides even more confirming evidence that people in relationships who can’t stand to spend much time away from online social networking are at increased risk for breakups. Study authors refer to “Facebook-related conflict,” which they say emerges through excessive monitoring of a partner’s activity and a user’s own connections with past friends and romantic partners.
Heavy use leads quite often to suspicion, jealousy and both “emotional and physical cheating.” Researchers recommend Facebook use be limited “to moderate, healthy levels.”
The study was collectively undertaken by researchers from the University of Missouri, the University of Hawaii at Hilo and St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
Source: Huffingotn Post, “Facebook, divorce linked in new study,” June 6, 2013
