Love on line?

[Rosebud]

You don't have to sound so upset. As I stated in my very first sentence, I was genuinely confused given what you said and how it relates to my own personal situation, and I did not intend to "twist" your words, only going off of what you actually stated. I just wanted a little bit more of an elaboration on that and now I have it. That is all, and I think I'll side with Zephii on this one and kindly disagree with your viewpoint.

[books]

Reading these responses is really interesting for me. To be honest, when it comes to online relationships, I've always been somewhat skeptical (my SO and I were CD when we began). I think many people do have an online persona and I'd feel a little uneasy getting deeply involved with someone I've never physically met. Well, deeply involved meaning saying we are in a relationship. I think if I was falling for someone online, I would want to meet as soon as possible to make things "real" for me.

[Sierra]

You don't have to sound so upset. As I stated in my very first sentence, I was genuinely confused given what you said and how it relates to my own personal situation, and I did not intend to "twist" your words, only going off of what you actually stated. I just wanted a little bit more of an elaboration on that and now I have it. That is all, and I think I'll side with Zephii on this one and kindly disagree with your viewpoint.

That's fine although you disagreeing with me is moot, you've met your significant other.

I'm not upset, I just feel that if you had read my post slowly you would have seen that no, I don't think a true love bond can be made online for reasons that happen based on physical interactions and reactions. You guys can disagree with me all you want, but sadly, science agrees with me.

[Rosebud]

That's like saying that because science disagrees then all religion is moot too, that still doesn't mean it won't really rile up a whole lot of folks who have their own experiences which are just as valid and true. Fact of the matter is, as someone has stated already, while love can and does have scientific basis to it (I don't deny that), it's such a complex emotion you can not claim to understand all of its internal workings because quite frankly, you don't (just as the same with religion, while people can use science all they want to back up their arguments absolutely no one really knows what happens to your soul, if such a thing even exists, after you die). So no, my opinion isn't moot. Thank you.

[killerkaytee]

It is possible because I met my boyfriend online and fell in love with him before I met him. Fell even harder once I did =)

[Sora1101]

Being one who found love online I definitely believe it to be possible, I'm sure a good number of members on here all feel the same.

[Sierra]

That's like saying that because science disagrees then all religion is moot too, that still doesn't mean it won't really rile up a whole lot of folks who have their own experiences which are just as valid and true. Fact of the matter is, as someone has stated already, while love can and does have scientific basis to it (I don't deny that), it's such a complex emotion you can not claim to understand all of its internal workings because quite frankly, you don't (just as the same with religion, while people can use science all they want to back up their arguments absolutely no one really knows what happens to your soul, if such a thing even exists, after you die). So no, my opinion isn't moot. Thank you.

Nobody is talking about religion here.

However, nothing changes the fact that you have met your SO, in person, and because of this chemical reactions have occurred that you have no control over. YES, you could have felt like you were in love before you met him in person, and that made the transition to the feeling that much easier, just as someone says, "Fell even harder once I did =)" That's when you fall in love.

I'm not denying the emotional factors involved in love, it's important to have a strong foundation which almost all of us who have been fortunate enough to meet our significant others have had. Because of those bonds, they are the emotion bonds that bring a couple together. However it simply shows ignorance to deny the fact that there are physical, chemical reactions involved as well.

Anyone can think they are in love, but until you've met you never know. The second you kiss you may be repulsed, their smell may be horrible to you ... all of these things are important.

I remember, the first time I met my boyfriend he couldn't stop smelling my hair after we had sex and it was dirty and I was horrified, but he was obsessed with that smell and finally I laughed but quickly realized I liked how much he smelled too. This is an important biological response to each other that helps further that emotional bond that was previously built as a foundation of a loving relationship. Many of us get to skip over the steps of dating and when we meet we go straight to being in love, however, there are very a man people who don't post on this board that I'm sure 'fell in love with someone online' met and it didn't work out. As a matter of fact you don't have to search google hard to find these stories.

I know it's possible to meet the love of your life online, but really feeling those feelings I think comes from meeting in person. Online does not replicate real life.

[Zephii]

Nobody is talking about religion here.

If you read her post slowly you will see the connection she is making here.

Science is a great thing, but life goes beyond that. There is still so much that sicence doesn't have an answer for.

[heylittlekrissy]

Science is a great thing, but life goes beyond that. There is still so much that sicence doesn't have an answer for.

This, exactly.
Maybe by scientific definition, it's not love, but all the same, we each have our own idea of what love is anyways. I personally believe it is possible, after finding the boy of my dreams online.

[Sloppy Joe]

Chemical reactions aren't the only factor to love. Ancient Greek had numerous words for different types of love beyond chemical romance. The chemical reactions, to my understanding, are more of a process that draws you into the relationship, as a type of addiction, but eventually wears off over time. Simply put, what the chemicals tend to create is the puppy love effect. You see it at the beginnings of a relationship when your whole world is flipped upside down and you do illogical things in the name of "love".

As far as I know, there's no definitive proof that you have to even be in the presence of the other person to experience the chemical effects. The chemicals are things we create inside of us that could have any number of triggers, even beside chemical triggers. There are people around the world with emotional issues who fall into a physical attraction with animals and inanimate objects. And as far as I understand it, these people experience the same chemical reactions of puppy love to these objects and animals. It's freaking crazy.

But back on point, there are also other aspects outside of the chemicals that create more of a solid foundation for your love, and that stuff deals with getting to know the person. Not just being attracted/addicted to them, but actually learning about them, deciding what you like about them, what you don't like, and what you can deal with. This is the friendship aspect of love. These are the deep emotional connections that you make which carry the relationship beyond the chemical and into the "life time" setting. This side of love is what makes or breaks a relationship.

Long story short, there has to be something beyond chemical romance that maintains a steady monogamous relationship, because apparently the chemicals aren't enough to prevent arguments, cheating and divorce. We can at least agree on this point alone.