12 May Real Smiles Versus Digital Smiles: The Key to a Successful Relationship
In the digital age, many of our day-to-day interactions are transitioning into the cyber world. From online dating to more people preferring texting to talking on the phone, one might think that old fashioned flirting and romantic comedy style romance were no longer necessary. However, If you think a nice affectionate smile and real human interaction are becoming less necessary in the world of romance, you would be wrong! A recent study out of Britain has revealed that (perhaps unsurprisingly) digital conversations and romances just don’t quite compare to the real thing.
While digital gestures like emoticons certainly do influence our brains, according to new research out of Leeds Met University, that effect is not nearly as powerful as actually spending time together in person. The study found that a successful relationship was based on two factors. How much time is spent together and how much affection you generally exhibit. According to the research, no amount of cutesy texts, smiling heart emoticons or selfies can compare to those two main factors.
So if your goal is to improve your current relationship, or begin a new long-lasting relationship, the research shows that you should focus more on the real life romantic gestures, smiles and activities rather than merely digital interactions. Of the 537 people who took part in the study, those spending the most time together in face-to-face interactions together were the ones who reported the highest levels of relationship satisfaction. Unfortunately, increased connectivity via smartphones and other devices hasn’t bridged the gap and caused an increase in relationship satisfaction. In fact, in Britain divorce rates have risen .5% recently in the era of connectivity.
What better motivation to improve the appearance of your smile than to improve your relationships? If you want to make sure that real-life smile is a nice one, contact Prescott Dentistry today and ask about our cosmetic dentistry services!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (5/12/2016) Jacob Bøtter (Flickr)