Cyberspace Can Lead to True Love

Discovery ^ | March 20, 2002 | Reuters

[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."

[riley1992]

I saw it and you were right to include a reference to eyes in your screen name, yours are beautiful. Congratulations again, LGE.

[KneelBeforeZod]

WYSIWYG

[socal_parrot]

Spread your tiny wings and fly away...and take the snow back with you where you came from on that day...the one I love forever is untrue...and if I could, I know that I would fly away with you.....

[Bella_Bru]

Remember this one:

Can you woo woo woo......

[LoneGreenEyeshade]

Thanks Riley.

[christine]

i think you boys know the answer to that! ;)

[LoneGreenEyeshade]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It worked. That made my day!!!! (I'm obviously very easy to please!)

LOL,LGE

[christine]

omg...you are so hilarious! i'm gonna follow you around the forum whenever i need entertainment. do you mind? ;)

[LoneGreenEyeshade]

Too bad--- you are NOT going to get a video of our honeymoon!!!!

LOL, LGE

[Happygal]

Wow, I'm talkin' like you now...

What?

[TigersEye]

And I work for the Federal Government, met TigersEye online and will be marrying him in less than 60 days, shoot straight with pistol or rifle (or carbine, for that matter), romp with rotties for fun, and have spoken with Sean Hannity, who thinks I am cool.

Uhhhhhhhhh, how do I say this? Laz,...I found out that technochick99 and .30Carbine are the same person. Not only that but he's already married. I hope you're strong, bud, 'cause it gets worse. He's a regular at Democratic Underground.

[Lazamataz]

That's okay. We can share.

Kisses.

[.30Carbine]

You girls are really too much.
But Kisses?!
Hells Bells!

[TigersEye]

That's okay. We can share.

Snif...snif...that's beautiful! Snif...I love ya man!

But Kisses?! Hells Bells!

Don't listen to her...him...ahhhhhgg. He's a heartbreaker.

and have spoken with Sean Hannity, who thinks I am cool.

Doncha see Laz? It's Alan Colmes!!! How many other FReepers are you engaged to, Alan? It's not cool! Snif...

[christine]

you are among the few who are not then? ;)

[maxwell]

Are you mocking my confession? You have touched my hurting sensitive place. Now ya gotta kiss it.

[maxwell]

Y'all forgot the one that always gets stuck in my head...

Raised to be a lady by the golden rule
Alice was the spawn of a public school
With a double barrel name in the back of her brain
And a simple case of Mummy-doesn't-love-me blues

Reality it seems was just a dream
She couldn't get it on with the boys on the scene
But what do you expect from a chick who's just sixteen
And hey, hey, hey, you know what I mean

All the young girls love Alice
Tender young Alice they say
Come over and see me
Come over and please me
Alice it's my turn today

All the young girls love Alice
Tender young Alice they say
If I give you my number
Will you promise to call me
Wait till my husband's away

Poor little darling with a chip out of her heart
It's like acting in a movie when you got the wrong part
Getting your kicks in another girl's bed
And it was only last Tuesday they found you in the subway dead

And who could you call your friends down in Soho
One or two middle-aged dykes in a Go-Go
And what do you expect from a sixteen year old yo-yo
And hey, hey, hey, oh don't you know

[Dawgsquat]

It worked for me!!!

[ValerieUSA]

I know, you lucky boy! Now let's hear from your poor wife. *LOL*