5 ways technology ruins your love life

How mod-cons might break your heart

When Martin Cooper and his Motorola team created the first ever mobile phone back in 1973, do you think they knew how much heartache and break-ups their invention would cause? We think not. Here we show you five ways technology ruins your love life.

Technology makes you want to jump into bed too quickly

According to a recent study conducted by Reuters, technology is causing us to jump into bed too quickly with people we like. The study found that those singletons who contacted potential partners using Facebook and Twitter built up a false sense of intimacy. It is suggested that these superficial interactions then caused people to sleep with one another sooner than they would do had all of their interactions occurred face-to-face.

Although you may not think that sleeping with someone you fancy is necessarily a bad thing, another study conducted by Cornell University found that couples who waited to sleep together reported having stronger, happier and more fulfilling relationships than those couples that did not wait. In part, waiting to have sex is thought to lead to a better relationship because couples got to know one another better and were better able to judge their compatibility.

Technology can mean you don't get a second date

Ever heard of textiquette? It means text etiquette and if you're single and looking to get further than a first date you need to become a master in the fine art of textiquette. This is because a study undertaken by LoveGeist has found that 29 per cent of single people would think twice about a person who sent a bad text after a first date.

It turns out that a bad post-date text can range from terrible spelling to saying cringe-worthy abbreviations like LMAO. If you want to meet up with your date again you should think carefully before pressing that send button and check with your friend that what you are going to send isn't going to scare off the guy or girl you like.  

Technology can ruin quality time

One of the worst things technology does to relationships is to ruin couples' quality time. When you go out with your guy or girl it can be really tempting to check your emails, reply to a quick text or check whether you've got a new RT. Although these little technology fixes seem harmless they draw your attention away from one another and stop you from engaging properly. Also you might be surprised by how much these ‘quick' checks soon add up.

A study published in Personal and Ubiquitous Computing found that on average we check our phones 34 times a day and those checks last for 30 seconds, which soon adds up. So, if you want to stay with your current girlfriend or boyfriend switch off your phone on your date.

Technology can make you seem like a bunny boiler

Sadly for those of us that find it difficult to control ourselves, the days of love letters have been succeeded by texts, Facebook messages, Tweets and BBMs. Why is this sad? Well, some of us find it really, really hard to stop contacting the person we like; especially if they don't reply. The problem is that leaving 14 voicemails, 16 texts and seven Facebook messages makes you seem like a stalker and will most certainly scare off the guy or girl you like.

If you are one of those people who struggle to stop contacting your boyfriend or girlfriend, just think: they are far more likely to respond to one of your messages than dozens of your messages.

Technology can make your relationship public
Technology is all well and good when you change your relationship status to ‘In a relationship with', but what happens when your relationship turns sour? Every couple fight and at some point you might be tempted to slate your partner using some skimpily disguised phrase like:  ‘Don't you just hate it when men let you down?' Yet venting your anger publically can be disastrous for your love life.

Firstly, it completely destroys the intimacy and trust you had in your relationship. Plus it will really humiliate your boyfriend or girlfriend and in the future they might be scared to have another fight with you again. Also, if you only ever broadcast bad things about your relationship your friends and family will begin to really dislike your new partner, and this can become a major issue for the future.

---

• 5 everyday habits that ruin your relationship
  
• 10 reasons social media stresses us out
  
• Follow realbuzz on Facebook

---

Comments