<p>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 longterm relationships.</p>.<p>Mobile apps have revolutionised 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 "cohabition intentions" than couples who meet offline.</p>.<p>"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," report author Gina Potarca, a researcher at UNIG's the Institute of Demography and Socioeconomics, said in a statement.</p>.<p>"Up to now, though, there has been no evidence to prove this is the case."</p>.<p>Potarca used a 2018 family survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, analysing 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>"The study doesn't say whether their final intention was to live together for the long- or short-term," she said, adding though that since expressed desire to marry remained high across the board, "some of these couples likely see cohabitation as a trial period prior to marriage."</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>"Knowing that dating apps have likely become even more popular during this year's periods of lockdown and social distancing, it is reassuring to dismiss alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools," she said.</p>
<p>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 longterm relationships.</p>.<p>Mobile apps have revolutionised 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 "cohabition intentions" than couples who meet offline.</p>.<p>"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," report author Gina Potarca, a researcher at UNIG's the Institute of Demography and Socioeconomics, said in a statement.</p>.<p>"Up to now, though, there has been no evidence to prove this is the case."</p>.<p>Potarca used a 2018 family survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, analysing 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>"The study doesn't say whether their final intention was to live together for the long- or short-term," she said, adding though that since expressed desire to marry remained high across the board, "some of these couples likely see cohabitation as a trial period prior to marriage."</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>"Knowing that dating apps have likely become even more popular during this year's periods of lockdown and social distancing, it is reassuring to dismiss alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools," she said.</p>