Honesty in Online Dating
Jasbina Ahluwalia asks Dr. John Cacioppo: That is fascinating and, in some ways, counterintuitive for some people who might think that people hide behind their computer. You’re saying that the level of self-disclosure is higher.
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Dr. John Cacioppo
Honesty in Online Dating Leads to Marriage
You raise a very good point. That’s why I wanted to make the point that these are individuals who ended up married.
If you’re anonymous to the other individual, you may well get more misrepresentation and less authenticity.
You may present yourself as taller, more fit, wealthier or any number of things. That’s likely to be detected once the relationship moves to more face-to-face interaction.
With that detection, it’s less likely to end in marriage.
It isn’t that all online is going to be met with authentic self-presentations. It’s that it’s more possible that you’re also going to likely have more misrepresentations.
It’s just that, with those misrepresentations, the other person can be highly vigilant when you first meet to detect any such misrepresentations, as well they should be.
Honesty in Online Dating: Pre-Marriage
That’s a great point. Your findings are with people who are actually married.
There are those hoops you jump through beyond meeting online. Then you do meet.
Like you said, if someone represented themselves different from who they actually are, that will be detected before someone walks down the aisle.
Dr. John Cacioppo
Honesty in Online Dating with Skepticism
That’s right. I think people do view with some skepticism the authenticity or truthfulness of people who they meet online. That’s probably a healthy skepticism.
That’s why I think it’s important to make that point. This research doesn’t suggest that people are only being authentic online, so you can trust who you meet. It’s quite the contrary.
I think it’s the skepticism about authenticity that leads to the detections of any deception. That should be taken seriously.
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Tell Us:
Are you surprised to hear that there is honesty in online dating? Have you experienced otherwise? Share your experiences with us below in the comments section.
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The above is an excerpt from Jasbina’s interview with Dr. John Cacioppo
The entire interview transcript is at: Dr. John Cacioppo Interview – Insights From A Social Psychologist on Growth of Online Dating
Listen to the entire interview on: Intersections Match Talk Radio – Jasbina’s Lifestyle Show
Listen to the entire interview on Blog Talk Radio: Insights From A Social Psychologist on Growth of Online Dating – John Cacioppo
Listen to the entire interview on iTunes
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