03-22-2006, 04:29 PM
MANY old romantics will beg to differ...but scientists reckon there's no such thing as love at first sight. In fact, they claim it takes a year for couples to find true romance. So that knotted feeling in the stomach when you first spot the person you want to share the rest of your life with is not the real thing, according to researchers. True love is a "combination of passion, intimacy and commitment" which does not kick in until about 12 months into a relationship.
A study of 147 couples who met through online dating agency Match.com found that 61 per cent had high levels of the three components - and most had been together a year. Around 16 per cent experienced "companionate love", with intimacy and commitment but not much passion. Those who had just met or had not been together long were going through what the researchers from Bath University called non-love, with low levels of all three ingredients.
Study chief Dr Jeff Gavin said: "To date there has been no systematic study of relationships formed online. Love is an important predictor of success, stability and relationship satisfaction. It is a multi-faceted concept. "But the line "I think I'm falling in love with you, just give it a year" does not have the same romantic ring about it.
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A study of 147 couples who met through online dating agency Match.com found that 61 per cent had high levels of the three components - and most had been together a year. Around 16 per cent experienced "companionate love", with intimacy and commitment but not much passion. Those who had just met or had not been together long were going through what the researchers from Bath University called non-love, with low levels of all three ingredients.
Study chief Dr Jeff Gavin said: "To date there has been no systematic study of relationships formed online. Love is an important predictor of success, stability and relationship satisfaction. It is a multi-faceted concept. "But the line "I think I'm falling in love with you, just give it a year" does not have the same romantic ring about it.
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