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Cyberspace Can Lead to True Love
Discovery ^
| March 20, 2002
| Reuters
Posted on 03/22/2002 7:47:35 AM PST by ValerieUSA
Here are words of comfort for those who have spent more time than they should in online chat rooms a British psychologist has found that courtships begun in cyberspace can very well lead to true love.
Many "virtual" relationships thrive once potential partners meet face-to-face because they already know each other so well through their online encounters, said Jeffrey Gavin, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Bath.
"Chat rooms don't lead to shallow and impersonal relationships," Gavin said in an interview on Friday. "They lead to really close relationships because people express themselves more freely and are more open and honest on the Internet."
Gavin carried out in-depth interviews with 42 regular chat room users aged 19 to 26 years. Of the volunteers he studied, 29 reported close friendships or romantic relationships with people they met online, with 21 progressing to face-to-face meetings. One couple became engaged to be married.
"What tends to happen is that, when they meet, it's a fairly smooth transition from online to offline because they know each other so well," said Gavin, who presented his findings to the annual conference of the British Psychological Society (BPS) in Blackpool on Friday. "Online, guys can be more emotionally honest and open, while women can be more overtly sexual."
His research also showed that most chat room users tell a few white lies about their height or the color of their hair. But in most cases they were minor misrepresentations rather than outright fabrication.
"They still seem to comply to the social norms around the body," said Gavin. "So the guys tend to make themselves sound blond and blue-eyed, while the women add a bit of blond to their hair or increase their bust size slightly. "It's true, twelve of them told outright lies but the rest just exaggerated slightly."
TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Society
KEYWORDS: relationships; romance
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Comment #101 Removed by Moderator
To: one_particular_harbour
Actually, that was a kinda cute song. We are only doing crappy ones.
To: ValerieUSA;Riley1992;one_particular_harbour;Texaggie79;CyberLiberty;Lazamataz
I pinged you on a Thread for a local FR meeting that includes a photo of myself and Dead Culture Watche. We met last May here on FR. In August, having never met face to face, I packed up my stuff and drove across the continent. We were engaged on February 14. In all honesty, I think we both were pleasantly surprised in the area of physical appearance as we both down-played any attractiveness that we may have rather than exaggerate it. And in all and ever aspect, we have been overjoyed with each other. And by the way, we both think that the other is the most gorgeous person on the face of the earth! Ah, the joy of true love!!!!
LOL,LGE
To: one_particular_harbour
So that means you forfeit on a technicality. LAZ! WINNNNNER AND STILL CHAMPPPPEEEEEEENNNNNNnnnnnn......!!!!!
To: one_particular_harbour
And I bet I'm the only one here who's been to Hahira.
To: Lazamataz
Oh. I was only doing pop songs. Now, jazz songs. Lush Life
To: real saxophonist
But Not For Me
To: LoneGreenEyeshade
Pictures please!
To: real saxophonist
They have to be crappy pop songs. Two fouls for Realsax!
To: Lazamataz
I sent you a ping on a local FR meeting. See #16 on that ping. I wish I knew how to post a photo. Anyone want to help me learn. I've tried the "HTML sandboxes" and get lost in the pages and pages of directions!!!!
To: Lazamataz
Well, there's my problem. I don't keep a catalogue of crappy pop songs. Here's proof of that: Broken Hearts are for Assholes
To: Lazamataz
Hey, we had the whole thing worked out already. :-)
He's such a sweetie, but don't tell anyone I told you.
Comment #113 Removed by Moderator
To: real saxophonist
Well, there's my problem. I don't keep a catalogue of crappy pop songs. Here's proof of that: Broken Hearts are for AssholesLOVE that album. Zappa was amazing.
Comment #115 Removed by Moderator
To: one_particular_harbour
No way - any vanity tune of the 70s is fair game.Okay, we'll call it a draw.
To: LoneGreenEyeshade
Here ya go
![](http://www.pistolwhipvideo.com/images/DeadCultureWatchandLoneGreenEyeshade.jpg)
LoneGreenEyeshade and dead culture watch
>< img src="http://www.pistolwhipvideo.com/images/DeadCultureWatchandLoneGreenEyeshade.jpg" width="350" height="320" >
Copy/paste the above line and remove the spaces just after and before the < and the >
To: ValerieUSA
Do you know how I can get this on my profile. I tried copy and paste the HTML, but it doesn't work! Why does HTML need to be so complicated anyway. I thought Bill Gates did away with all this complication!!!!????!!!! (I'm a pro at Windows---I can point and click very well!)
And thanks.
To: LoneGreenEyeshade
Did you take the spaces out? Lemme see if I can do it for a direct cut 'n' paste:
< img src="http://www.pistolwhipvideo.com/images/DeadCultureWatchandLoneGreenEyeshade.jpg" width=350 height=320>
Well, you'll have to do just one thing after pasting the code: Remove the *one* space I had to put in, right after the "<" character, right before the "img".
BTW, I met my beloved Slip18 here on FR, too. We got married June 14, the day after JimRob's own anniversary (we found that out later).
To: one_particular_harbour
Who could forget...
Feelings...whoa, whoa, whoa, Feelings...
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