Online Romantic Relationships: Doing Everything in Reverse

Technology has made a romantic relationship possible where things happen in reverse. Through most of human history, consensual romantic relationships could only start one way, meeting face to face. There was no other way.

Consider what scientific research reveals about romantic feelings and "love."

When people say love is complicated, they don't realize how right they are. Most scientists refer to love as a basic emotion, but in Ortigue's study, she and her colleagues found that 12 areas of the brain work together to release many chemicals and hormones that induce the feeling of love as early as 0.2 seconds of visual contact. Among these chemicals are dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline, and vasopressin---all chemicals previously associated with love and other highly complicated processes in the brain and mixed together are thought as a love potion. In addition, newly found love also sparks in areas of the brain associated with euphoria-inducing drugs-suggesting love as a feeling akin to using coc aine.

...

You may be unaware that a behavior called assortative mating also occurs in love at first sight. After a study was performed by the Rowett Research Institute and University of Aberdeen, it was revealed that among characteristics, humans tend to select a mate off of physical appearance-in this case, body fatness. It is already known that most couples are also of the same social, financial, and educational background and choose each other based off of similar qualities. In addition, ‘scientific' beauty, as we all know, is based off of symmetry. I will cover that in another post. But, facial and physical appearance, as well as pheromones play a large role in attraction. Pheromones are the scent markers that appear in human sweat and dictate sexual behavior. Gross. Sometimes lovers choose their mate because of a distinct quality that reminds them of their own parents...

LINK

In the case of online relationships, almost everything mentioned above is often hidden until the parties meet. But, meeting in person is usually done at great expense, and it's almost always dangerous for both people.

Online relationships do everything in reverse. Are they even worth trying?

a reply to: Profusionscent is crucial and impossible on online... unless technology discovers a way to let smell through the speakers..?
Oh, and smelling someone that resembles a parental smell, is like creating a baby with a family relation..not advisable, unless three lines away... still gross, well its a breeding thing..in certain society's where not many to choose from (like Amish?) or a liniage complex, keeping a certain breed alive... oh I sound like in'm talking of domestic animals..sorry my ex said we are more like animals than we care to admit as human beings and I agreed.
Great post, never heard of that last chemical in the line up of human love potion...i'll stick to making perfume from sustainable resources.ha ha.
"Vasopressin''
Thanks for the resource... will study this perhaps.
Excellent, OP!

a reply to: Profusion

an online relationship is worth a shot. The easiest way to know it failed is when one or both parties primarily communicate without auditory communication and have been reduced to mostly meeting in person for casual sex. It is no longer a relationship and more of just an "arrangement" between consenting parties.

Of course if that's what one is looking for than one has to admit they are not actually hoping for a relationship at all. Thats ok too. Plenty of willing participants in this day and age.

a reply to: peppycat

I don't think of myself as being animalistic. However, when it comes to sexual activities, it's animalistic. That's the nature of the beast. Pretending sexual activities aren't animalistic does no one any good.

If you're going to have a romantic relationship with no sexual activity, I would say the animalistic side wouldn't matter. But, a romantic relationship with no sexual activity is hardly romantic unless we're talking about people of a very advanced age (or physically challenged people, etc.). I realize that sounds conventional (and I'm usually against conventionality), but human romance is a narrow road.

There just aren't that many ways to have a romance among humans (and they're all fairly conventional). And, they're all animalistic.

a reply to: AmericanRealist

How do you make an online relationship work when you're doing everything in reverse?

a reply to: Profusion

You seem rather fixated with online relationships lately.

I know people who have met online, talked online for years, have met, and have now been married for years.

I, myself, met my partner online; we talked online for a year or so, we met, and we've been together for years, even have a child together, have planned our future together.

You act as though an online relationship is utterly hopeless, pointless.

Are they even worth trying?

In my experience, and the experience of people I know: Yes.

a reply to: Profusion not sure you need sex for romance...I've been romantic without it and am nearing 40...romance with unwanted expectations are what gets my goose... especially when threatened with ones very life...a person should be able to follow California laws with everything written down about what one finds appropriate, timing ect...
Just my personal take on things of the nature in romance, advances and the like.
I've heard too many conversations between men to be a total dummy...
"oh spent this or that, bought this or that..and still no this or that'' strange as when I spend money on a man...I don't do or think as so many men do... so in a world without materialism... where does love, intimate behavior, and romance lead?
Hopefully into respect of self ownership... strange in a patriarchal system of earth, I understand.
So, online dating? never tried it, hope it works out for ya'!
Everything in reverse? does that mean one has already met this person in real life once before and then found them online?
I met a guy in real life and we were dating on phone and then we drifted separate ways, looked him up years later and we started getting to know each other in what seemed to be flirting, when I asked him'' your probably married?'' he answered... The truth and we remained friends... even though I was mentally ill at time..he was very kind about it too.
Kept his email and wrote... Him again and he lied saying he was divorced in so many words...then all the sudden he stopped writing me after I sent him my updated picture and I was like just tell me you... Think I am ugly now after several years past our twnties, and be honest,.. and he said he was back with his wife and child.
We still are friends.
Any way that is my personal experience of meeting a person and then ''dating'' if that's what you would say, online... well in emails.
Hope I am on topic.🎋

a reply to: kaelci

Would you please explain how you made it work while doing everything in reverse?

originally posted by: peppycat
Everything in reverse? does that mean one has already met this person in real life once before and then found them online?

It means that you meet in person as a climactic point in the relationship rather than as the foundation/beginning of the relationship as it's always been previously in human history.

originally posted by: peppycat
a person should be able to follow California laws with everything written down about what one finds appropriate, timing ect...

I wouldn't have sex in California. I made a thread about it:

Would you risk having sex in California ('yes means yes')?

originally posted by: peppycat
Hope I am on topic.

I don't think you were off topic, but I enjoy reading anything you post regardless.

a reply to: Profusion thanks...i'm At a loss with reading comprehension.
Time to eat food for the brain to function.
Have a wonderful Monday.😊
I'm going to eat food and stuff coffee vet..
Wait for morning.and...
Try to keep understanding your reply
Thanks for replying and not ignoring me.

originally posted by: Profusion
a reply to: kaelci
Would you please explain how you made it work while doing everything in reverse?

I don't know what exactly I can tell you...

We met on an online game that we both played. So we easily had something to do together - gaming.
We talked on Skype every night, on and off camera.
We learnt about eachother, our lives, families, employment, any problems we were facing... just... talking. Some people actually can be honest, non-catfishing people, in an online environment.
Communication is key to -any- relationship. If you can't talk to one another then there isn't going to be a relationship.
We agreed to meet, enjoyed eachother's company in an off-line environment, have been together ever since.

How did we make it work? We communicated.

I don't see why there is so much over-thinking with the subject...

originally posted by: peppycat
Thanks for replying and not ignoring me.

I'll have to try to reply to you every time you post in my threads now. Thank you.

originally posted by: kaelci
I don't see why there is so much over-thinking with the subject...

I invite you to look at the bigger picture:

'Online friendships' with the opposite sex, are they feasible?

originally posted by: Profusion
I invite you to look at the bigger picture:

'Online friendships' with the opposite sex, are they feasible?

I replied on that thread also.

Recently met a girl on the dating application, Tinder. Neither of us actually wanted to make use of it, but were pushed by friends. We've had fun talking and I feel have been relatively open and honest, and plan on meeting in person this evening for a walk around the city.

I think there is nothing wrong with this new era of romance and relationships, but depends on the people involved. Many are shallow so don't expect too much, but there is good in it.

a reply to: Profusion that's nice of you.
I feel like leaving for a bit... and working on a thread?
So much to do, out of work, momentarily...
By!


Hope to see you post again!✨

a reply to: Profusion

Yep meeting your "perfect soul" online is daring the universe to teach you a lesson in existentialism.


Which doesn't always have to be a bad thing.

I left my country and moved to another country because i met a guy on a online game. We were8 month together. Seperated but i still love hi . I say yes to it. Doesn't matter how you meet. The communication matters.