You’d think that with all the new, high-tech ways of communicating, starting, and sustaining a long-term relationship with someone would be easier. Spoiler alert: it’s not. Here’s why it can be hard to create and sustain a meaningful relationship nowadays.
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We Are Spoiled for Choice
Or at least we think we are. It’s hard for people to commit because there are so many ways of meeting new people. Online dating apps make it as easy to swipe right on a person we find attractive, then they either don’t swipe right back and choose us, or we immediately get bored with them and ghost them to look for another more suitable “choice”.
With so many potential, wonderful matches available, people end up not choosing anyone, fall victim to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and continue to accept and then remove potential matches in the hopes of finding the “best match.” While more people in the USA are using online dating apps and websites, only 12% of users were successful in finding a partner for a committed relationship or marriage. Maybe when it comes to online dating, people would fare better with a more targeted approach, such as hiring a matchmaker in Houston.
There Are More Grey Areas
In the past, relationships were more black-and-white. You were either dating, just friends, or a couple. These days, there are many shades of “grey-area” relationships that entail different levels of intimacy. As long as both parties are aware and in agreement, nobody else can define whatever their relationship is or how intimate they prefer to be within their relationship.
Some people are even open to having relationships outside of their commitments, with the approval of both parties involved. Blurring the lines and having grey areas like these can certainly make the chances of having a lasting, committed relationship more difficult.
There Are Way More Distractions
The amount of content accessible to us on the Internet is immense and can take over most of our free time if not managed. These can become distractions and obstacles to our ability to create and maintain meaningful human connections. With all the social networking sites and access to virtually any content that caters to our individual interests, people can become addicted to the internet.
At least one psychologist notes that people addicted to the internet are prone to becoming more confrontational and less patient with their partners, so it’s no surprise their relationships soon come undone.
We Have No Incentive to Be Vulnerable
The combination of distractions, the illusion of having many choices, grey-area relationships all come together and make it harder to be truly vulnerable with anyone. Add to this the hookup culture of instant sexual gratification, so there is no reason to share anything deeply personal or share your true feelings. The willingness to communicate and be vulnerableisimportant for a committed, meaningful relationship.
Creating a lasting, committed relationship can be difficult, but that shouldn’t discourage anyone from trying. If you want to find a suitable partner for a committed relationship, find a person with whom you have shared values, a mutual attraction, and an interest in being together for the long haul.
