Cupid's Pulse Article: Relationship Advice: Being in a Happy Relationship in the 21st CenturyCupid's Pulse Article: Relationship Advice: Being in a Happy Relationship in the 21st Century

The impact of technology has increased over the years, and it threatens to change our lives and the way that we interact with each other. Its influence is more substantial on relationships because they depend on real human interactions.

Relationship Advice: Being in a Happy Relationship in the 21st Century

Being in a happy relationship requires a different set of rules and practices. For this relationship advice, those rules and practices are like these:

1. Explore your options: Being in the right relationship begins with being with the right person since dating someone who isn’t right for you can lead to a lot of heartache for both of you. Therefore, instead of rushing into a relationship that might be doomed to fail, take your time and evaluate your options. Find out what you want in a partner and go for it. Settling for less will make you unhappy in the future. You should consider online dating sites like interracial dating central where you can meet a lot of people.

2. Communicate in real time, in real life: Nothing beats real face-to-face communication. No screens, no Wi-Fi, no Internet buffering can ever replace the authenticity of a discussion in person. Research has actually shown that when you have physical contact and interaction with someone, it improves your bonding and intimacy with that person. That’s something you won’t get from video chats.

3. Use technology: Just because technology can diminish our intimacy and bonding time doesn’t mean we can’t use it to our advantage. If you’re in a long-distance relationship, technology should probably be your best friend. With video calls, you can stay involved in your partner’s life without skipping a beat. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Whenever your heart grows fond, you can simply pick up the phone and talk to them.

4. Ignore social media’s standards: One of the predominant causes of unhappiness (especially in relationships) in the 21st century is social media. Social media enables everyone to share parts of their lives with the world. There are no filters for what’s true and what isn’t—only what you choose to share. Unfortunately, most people don’t know this, and they try to match the unrealistic standards that other people post on social media. Not meeting these standards often leads to a lot of unhappiness. You can avoid this downward spiral by ignoring social media’s standards, and simply measuring your relationships by your own standards. After all, you have to live with yourself.

5. Beware of questions: Google has gotten us addicted to instant answers when we want them. These days, you don’t even have to type in anything. You can simply say the question aloud into your phone, and it spits out the answer. This quick and easy question-and-answer experience has tricked us into believing that everything should work like that. With relationships, it’s a little different, and the truth is that your partner isn’t obligated to give you answers any more than you’re obligated to give him. If, however, they do agree to it, you have to be ready for the answers.