London - The results of a recent study by online US dating site OkCupid found that people who use Twitter every day are more likely to have shorter relationships and to engage in self-gratification than those who don’t.
The data was taken from a sample of 833 987 users of the dating website and compared those who used Twitter every day with the generic category of “everybody else”.
The survey found that older daily Twitter users were likely to have the longest relationships – while, perhaps unsurprisingly, younger daily Twitter users had the shortest.
Daily Twitter users aged 18 to 24 averaged between nine and 12 months per relationship while the same age group in the category of “everyone else” averaged between slightly less than 10 months to about 13 months per relationship.
Those daily Twitter users aged between 40 and 50 averaged 15 months per relationship while the same age group in the category of “everyone else” had relationships lasting between 16 and 17 months.
The survey gave no reason as to why those who use Twitter on a daily basis would be likely to experience shorter romantic attachments.
A separate survey included in the dating company’s report found that the odds that daily Twitter users aged 18 to 24 masturbated, or reported that they were masturbating, on any day across all gender groups were 2:1, while the odds of “everyone else” across the same age group doing the same were significantly lower – about 1.6:1.
Online activities have long been thought by some to be a major cause of relationships breaking down, with numerous studies being conducted into the phenomenon of social networking sites and its effect on relationships.
Examples of two such cases include an April 20 report by technology news portal The Tech Journal that lawyers in the US have claimed social networking site Facebook is cited in nearly 20 percent of divorce cases, and a 2009 study by the CyberPsychology & Behavior Journal reporting findings that correlate time spent on Facebook with jealously in relationships. – The Independent
* Read the full report: http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/10-charts-about-sex/