As per psychologists and experts in the field of love and romance, it is highly improbable for an individual to fall in love with a person he or she has been dating online and one who has never been met face to face. These experts feel that people can be involved in chatting for many hours or days but they can never say for sure that they know that person well, if they have not met them personally.
The flip side of the coin says that it is possible for people to really know the person that they are dating online and the potential exists for real love to blossom. There have been actual cases for people dating online for years.
There are television shows such as `Love after Lockup’ that go on to show people that they can love a person whom they have never met. Shows like these bring about storylines concerning people who get into a relationship with each other by means of regular dating without actual face o face interaction. They go on to evidence the fact that relationship can evolve without actual meetings or interactions.
People who have been involved with online dating for a long time would also know that there are aspects to such shows that they are able to identify with. It is about that intense feeling of connectivity and a firm belief that fate brought the couples together and made them bond without even spending a moment with each other under the same roof.
There are many long distance relationships that have thrived after many months of staying online. People talk intimately and also frequently and it is not so difficult to find love amid such interactions. There may be doubts arising in people’s minds that speaking regularly with a person is far different than actually meeting that person or knowing him or her. An expert dating coach and author of the book, ‘The Dating Mirror: Trust Again, Love Again’, Diana Dorell, feels that it is possible between two persons to make a romantic connection on a long-distance or online relationship and that such experiences could also be intense ones. She firmly believes that it is very much possible for people to form a strong emotional bond with someone that they have never met in their real lives. With mediums such as Skype, FaceTime or WhatsApp, it is also likely to feel a kind of physical attraction to the person you are in regular contact with.
However, there are other psychologists who harbour an apprehension about two persons falling in love without actually meeting other. They have a theory that if people are not in a position to spend real time with their dating partner, they could be falling victims to the concept of idealized adaptation of love. There is a strong chance in such cases of skipping the challenges and nuances that rise on a daily basis when two people actually share their lives together and meet every day. It is possible that the concept of idealized romance that is built up online through chatting may not match reality in life and it is also possible that the chemistry may fall apart later when they actually meet before taking crucial decisions about settling down in life. Other psychologists feel that the rising number of dating sites and apps is building up a kind of paradox effect as they give away an illusion of several options to those who are dating while making it tougher for them to come across real viable solutions. Chances are, this still happens even among couples who met in real life. So the problem is not about the way you meet someone, it’s about how you cope with it.
In summary, it is safe to say that while many people feel about falling in love without meeting in real life is unlikely, many couples have proved them wrong by forging real connections with their partners without actually meeting them in person. However, people should be cautious and realize the limitations that abound in long-distance online relationships. It would help the couples avoid compromising for less than they actually deserve.
