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."
OPH, you little charmer you!
Seriously--congratulations, one and all (whether you're makin' stuff up or not).
Oh it's confession time? Okay, herrrhhm, hi, my name's Max, I have a footwear fetish and I'm in a two-step program... and my life-formation moment came that night in the alley behind Hard Knockers Topless BBQ And Transmission Shop when I found myself forcing, as was my wont, sturdy-legged combat-boot-size-13 ladies of the night, as it were, to shove their steel-toed spiked heels up my---
Dangit this ain't the right room... All these dank basement meeting rooms look the same... I'll jes' show mahself out here... Y'all weren't gonna eat them donuts, wereya...
Was that post meant for TLBSHOW or Texagie79? Hehehehehehe
I mean, hells bells, man!
OWWWWWWWWW!!!
I'm rolling thunder, pouring rain
I'm coming on like a hurricane
My lightning's flashing across the sky
You're only young but you're gonna die
I won't take no prisoners won't spare no lives
Nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya, satan get ya
I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine
If you're into evil, you're a friend of mine
See the white light flashing as I split the night
Cos if good's on the left then I'm sticking to the right
I won't take no prisoners won't spare no lives
Nobody's puttin' up a fight
I got my bell I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya satan get ya
Hells bells, satan's coming to you
Hells bells, he's ringing them now
Those hells bells, the temperature's high
Hells bells, across the sky
Hells bells, they're taking you down
Hells bells, they're dragging you down
Hells bells, gonna split the night
Hells bells, there's no way to fight
Hells bells
Wow, that was quick!
My beloved won't give me any until after we get married, and she says she's not even sure she will after that!!! :o)
Then whatever you do, DO NOT think about the song "Billy, Don't Be A Hero".
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