Virtual Intimacy: In the era of social media, romance has also become digital. Expressing love with roses, hidden away from the eyes of people, is now a thing of the past. In the era of mobile, a heart emoji is enough to express what is in the mind. While relationships are being soft launched on the digital world, virtual intimacy has also increased.
What is virtual intimacy? Virtual intimacy? ,
Intimacy means closeness. When a person loves someone, he feels emotionally and physically close to them. This is intimacy. Intimacy is not necessarily felt by having sex. Psychiatrist Dr. Avni Tiwari She says that this feeling is felt when you hug your partner, touch their hand, help out with household chores or even when you comb your hair. Face to face intimacy has now become digital. In this hi-tech world, many people now feel this feeling through social platforms which is called virtual intimacy.
Coming closer through messages and calls
Love is felt when you sit face to face with your partner, but virtual intimacy can be felt even when you are thousands of kilometres away. Partners feel closer through chats, messages, video calls, social media platforms, virtual support groups, virtual workshops and virtual reality (VR) interactions.
According to a dating app, 55% of Indians have cheated on their partner through online dating (Image-Canva)
Distance from people gave an opportunity for virtual intimacy!
Being busy with work and the intrusion of social media into life has distanced people from the real world. Now people avoid talking face-to-face. People have started having social anxiety. They also avoid sitting with their family members. Distance from people has given users a chance for virtual intimacy on social media. For those who fear rejection in love or feel shy in sitting face-to-face with people, online romance has proved to be a boon.
Dating apps increased the trend
Dating apps became popular in India after the lockdown in 2020. These dating apps brought people closer to each other and created many new virtual relationships. Thanks to these apps, virtual intimacy increased in India. Glidden dating app named According to the report, users in India grew by 112% from March 2020 to 2022. As virtual relationships increased, virtual intimacy also increased.
A gift for long distance couples
Many couples live in different cities or countries due to job or studies. Such couples feel close to each other only through virtual intimacy. Chats, video calls, photo and video sharing reduce the distance between them.
Virtual bonding increases hormones!
Many people say that love happens from the heart but it is not so. Love happens from the mind and 3 hormones are responsible for it. A happy hormone called dopamine is released in the body by the partner’s message or call, their voice or picture. Due to this hormone, attraction towards the partner increases. Then a hormone called serotonin makes one feel happy and positive. This increases sexual desire. At the third stage, oxytocin is released which increases excitement and strengthens bonding by trusting the partner.
Virtual intimacy excites
A study was done on how one gets pleasure from virtual intimacy. The study showed that the brain gets pleasure in two ways. When couples send loving messages to each other, the anticipatory pleasure system of the brain is activated which makes the person feel like foreplay. Whereas, when people have sexual chat with their partner, the consummatory pleasure system is activated which makes them feel the satisfaction they get during intercourse.
Online intimacy releases many hormones in the body which keeps a person happy. (Image-Canva)
Does the relationship last long?
Dr. Avni Tiwari says that love may start with the dopamine hormone, but when love turns into a lifelong relationship, it is oxytocin that is responsible for it. This is what develops depth in a relationship. If there is trust, mutual understanding and respect in a relationship, then even if the relationship is virtual, it lasts for a long time. in Canada A research found that women feel happier after talking to their boyfriend or husband. The more often they call or message their partner, the deeper their relationship becomes.
Take care of privacy
Online love can sometimes become a headache. Girls should avoid sharing their personal photos and videos on social media and dating apps. You don’t know how true their virtual partner is. Whatever you share online, do it very thoughtfully and if you have even the slightest doubt about your virtual partner, block him/her.
Virtual intimacy is not always good
Online love messages can sometimes cause misunderstanding. In such a relationship, the emotional connection can also be one-sided. There is no physical touch in virtual intimacy, which can sometimes make the partner cheat. At the same time, in the digital world, people are operating many websites and apps simultaneously, due to which they start getting digital fatigue. This affects mental health, which can also affect the relationship.
Tag: dating sites, relationship, Social media
first published : Sep 11, 2024, 10:56 pm IST
