Why truly happy couples tend to keep their relationships offline

With the rise of social media, where moments are captured and posted, couples can no longer resist sharing their love lives on the internet. From intimate shots and anniversary posts to holiday breaks, the desire to present a relationship to the world on social media appears almost unstoppable. Though, a recent study published in the ‘Public Library of Science’ (PLOS) contradicts the trend, indicating that truly happy couples put up fewer posts of each other and their relationship.

The social media pressure on relationships

Today's world is increasingly digital-savvy and social media has emerged as an influential force in communication and self-expression. Couples tend to share every moment, right from the first date to anniversaries and publicize their relationships. Sharing every moment all the time can give rise to a feeling of legitimation, where the couple assumes that their love is more real when shared publicly or on social media. But this kind of sharing tends to come with its own problems. Couples tend to feel pressured to live up to a ‘perfect’ image.

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The emergence of ‘relationship goals’ on Facebook and Instagram promotes unrealistic ideals for couples. Celebrities and influencers tend to post selected moments from their romance, making their followers think that real love exists in just the staged, filtered scenarios they view on social media. Research indicates that social media can sometimes enhance feelings of jealousy and inadequacy, which can adversely affect relationships.

The power of privacy

The PLOS research proposes an alternative view. As indicated by the study, couples who are happy with their relationships tend to share less on social media. These couples are more interested in having fun together, exploring together, eating together without seeking appraisals through likes and comments. By keeping their love life offline, they are able to escape the distractive nature of the online world and focus on developing stronger emotional connections.

Relationship privacy enables couples to build trust and communication in a more natural manner. Without the pressure of always putting on a show for an audience, they are able to express themselves openly and help one another in a more genuine way. The lack of online validation can result in healthier, more secure relationships where the partners are truly seen and heard by one another.

Celebrities who keep their relationships private

Most celebrities, in spite of their open lives, also prefer keeping their own relationships away from social media. Though some reveal facets of their love life, most of them wish to keep things private. Celebrities such as Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, for instance, hardly ever talk about their relationship and, instead, live their lives away from public scrutiny. In that way, they achieve a form of intimacy and secrecy that most people feel is essential to a good relationship.

Posting as an expression

While the privacy of a relationship has numerous advantages, it's also worth noting that posting your relationship on social media is not always a sign of insecurity or low intimacy. For some couples, posting is an expression and a way to share accomplishments with their friends and family. Social media may assist a couple in being in contact with loved ones, particularly in long-distance relationships where updates become important. It may also be an exciting means of chronicling memories together, developing an online scrapbook of their time as a couple.

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Indeed, most happy and secure couples share moments online not because they need to, but because they want to celebrate their love with others. Posting on social media can be a healthy representation of the relationship if done with consideration, without compromising its genuineness.