Paired Shown to Increase Relationship Quality by 36%
Apps have already redefined how we date and look for love. Now research has discovered the role technology, and specifically relationship apps, can play in improving romantic relationships.
Researchers at The Open University and the University of Brighton evaluated the effectiveness of the Paired app, to discover how digital intervention affects relationship quality. They found that couples who used the app over the course of three months saw marked improvement in everything from communication to sex, and the more they used the app, the better the benefits. Find out more below.
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Paired’s impact on relationship quality
Researchers, led by Dr. Jacqui Gabb, created the Quality of Relationship Index, a rigorously-developed measure of overall relationship quality to analyse the impact of technology on relationship behavior. They found that relationship quality improves the longer you’ve been using the Paired app, and it also improves the more often you use the app too. Over three months, Paired users saw a 36% improvement in their relationship quality and those using the app six to seven times a week reported the highest increase in relationship quality.
Key Couple Benefits
The research team also explored changes in different aspects of relationship quality, whilst using Paired:
Communication: Over three months’ use of Paired, they saw a steep increase in how openly users communicate with their partner, to a point where 98% agreed or strongly agreed that they communicate openly with their partner. Paired users clearly credited Paired with this improvement: 81% of those who had used the app for at least a month agreed that Paired had helped improve their couple communication, rising to 85% among those who used it on six or seven days in a typical week.
Dealing with conflict as a couple: When they first used Paired, just 16% of users strongly agreed that they and their partner were able to discuss and resolve conflict, but this proportion doubled within the first month, and tripled over a three-month period (to 46%). The low initial percentage suggests that conflict is challenging for couples to address. Yet almost half of those who used Paired for more than one month (46%), and half of those who used it on six or seven days in a typical week (50%), credited Paired with helping them to resolve relationship issues.
Feeling connected: 98% of Paired users agreed or strongly agreed that they felt emotionally connected with their partners when they first used the app, leaving little room for improvement. Nevertheless, Paired still appears to benefit couples’ emotional connection: the proportion strongly agreeing that they enjoy a positive emotional connection rose from around three-in-five, to almost four-in-five (61% to 78%) over three months.
Comfort with discussing sex life: The researchers found an increase over three months, from 45% to 55% of users strongly agreeing that they were comfortable with discussing their sex life together. The modest increase may reflect the fact that discussing sexual matters is widely acknowledged to be challenging for many couples.
