Can You See How Happy We Are? Facebook Images and Relationship Satisfaction
Social Psychological and Personality SciencePublished 4 October 2012
Laura R. Saslow, Amy Muise, Emily A. Impett, Matt Dubin
Citations109
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.49
SNIP2.09
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Abstract
Love is often thought to involve a merging of identities or a sense that a romantic partner is part of oneself. Couples who report feeling more satisfied with their relationships also feel more interconnected. We hypothesized that Facebook profile photos would provide a novel way to tap into romantic partners’ merged identities. In a cross-sectional study (Study 1), a longitudinal study (Study 2), and a 14-day daily experience study (Study 3), we found that individuals who posted dyadic profile pictures on Facebook reported feeling more satisfied with their relationships and closer to their partners than individuals who did not. We also found that on days when people felt more satisfied in their relationship, they were more likely to share relationship-relevant information on Facebook. This study expands our knowledge of how online behavioral traces give us powerful insight into the satisfaction and closeness of important social bonds.
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PsychologySocial SciencesArts and Humanities
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