The more you share of your relationship online, the less happy you are as a couple according to a new study.
Couples who post three or more selfies on social media per week week are, on average, 128 per cent unhappier than those who never talk about their relationships online.
In a survey of more than 2,000 18-50-year-olds, couples were asked to rate the overall happiness in their relationship. They were asked about overall happiness, intimacy, communication and trust, as well as how often they post about their relationship on social media.
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The results show that only 10 per cent of couples who regularly post updates on social media class themselves as 'very happy'. In comparison, nearly half (46 per cent) of those who don't share their relationship online are happier.
The study suggests that 'trust issues' could be causing unhappy couples to post more often on social media; the number one reason for couples sharing their relationship online was to express that they or their partner is 'taken'.
Generally, couples who never shared less content about their relationships ranked themselves as 'very happy' or 'happy', followed closely by those who share occasionally, like on anniversaries or birthdays.
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The unhappiest couples were those who post more than three times a week, with just a third (32 per cent) of those saying they were 'happy' or 'very happy'.
"There are often mixed views on whether posting on social media regularly has positive effects on us and our relationships," said Martin Stevens of Shotkit, the online photography platform which carried out the survey. "We expected there to be some disparities with the survey, but we didn't know quite how much of a difference it could make, 128% happier is a huge amount!"
"However, this isn't to say that all social media sharing is bad, of course not. Perhaps the saying 'too much of a good thing' is true in this case. We hope that the research provided some insight, and perhaps food for thought for some people."
The top three reasons behind couples never sharing their relationship online were: 'privacy', 'embarrassment' and 'not regular social media users'.
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In comparison, results revealed that same sex couples were most likely to share couples content to express 'pride', whereas straight couples confirmed they share content in order to express that themselves or their partner are 'taken'.
How would you rank in this survey? We hope they don't do a study on pet photos next...
Featured Image Credit: Instagram - Kim Kardashian/ Gigi HadidTopics: Sex and Relationships