It’s something that deep down we were undoubtedly already aware of, but let’s just put it on the table: Facebook may be bad for some marriages. In fact, a study to be published in the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking indicates that excessive Facebook use could very well lead to conflicts between spouses.
Allen residents with a penchant for social media may want to take heed. Let’s look at the study’s findings.
Excessive Facebook use was defined by the researchers as posting to or checking the account more than once per hour. The researchers asked 205 users of Facebook to respond to questions, and the users’ ages ranged from young adulthood to 82 years old, with 79 percent of respondents saying they were romantically involved with someone.
The research points to a rise in jealousy among those who used Facebook excessively, likely because those users were more inclined to check up on their significant others and find some cause for disagreement. The subject of past partners was noted as being particularly jealousy-making.
According to one of the study’s authors, excessive Facebook use was a problem more often for people in newer relationships – ones that spanned three years or less.
As you might expect, the authors suggest taking a moderate approach to social media sites like Facebook, especially when a couple is new to a marriage or otherwise just getting to know each other.
When divorce does become inevitable, Texas spouses should do their best to be prepared for life during and after the split. Legal matters have to be considered, and one way to reduce the burden of the nuts and bolts of divorce may be to meet with an experienced family law attorney.
Source: Huffington Post, “Facebook, Divorce Linked In New Study,” June 6, 2013