Washington: The soppy details about their relationship that some couples post on Facebook may actually be strengthening their marital bond, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that people who post about their relationship on Facebook are more satisfied and secure in their marriages than those who do not.
It may seem obvious that people who are happy in their relationships will post about them more often, but now there is scientific evidence of the connection - and a possible answer to the argument that they`re overcompensating or just looking for a self-esteem boost. The research team, led by Laura R Saslow a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medicine at UCSF`s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, conducted three experiments among married Facebook users over the age of 18.
The first experiment showed that those who often posted a picture of themselves and their spouse as their Facebook profile picture were more likely to report being happy in their relationship.
The second experiment indicated that participants who reported higher levels of marital satisfaction and closeness with their partner were much more likely to have posted a profile picture that featured their spouse in the last year. The third experiment found that participants were more likely to post information about their relationship on Facebook on days when they were feeling particularly satisfied with their marriage.
"It makes sense that someone who`s happier with their life would post these kinds of pictures to show off their relationship," said study co-author Amy Muise in an interview to a website.
"But general life satisfaction and personality traits couldn`t account for our findings," Muise said.
The study will be published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
PTI