Are couples who meet offline happier than those who match on the apps?

In the age of dating app burnout, many singles are itching for a real-life meet-cute that will get them off the apps for good. And while much of this has to do with general swipe exhaustion and a desire for a cuter “how we met” story than “we both swiped right,” recent research suggests there may actually be real, long-term benefits to meeting your partner in real life as opposed to online.

A new study from an international team of researchers at the University of Wroclaw in Poland found that on average, participants who met their partners online “reported lower relationship satisfaction and lower intensity of experienced love compared to those who met offline.” And lest you think this is just a Poland thing, the study used nationally representative samples from 50 countries, analyzing data from 6,646 partnered individuals. The researchers cited a number of reasons this may be the case, including the fact that couples who meet in real life are more likely to have similar backgrounds and swim in similar social circles.

While this may be great news for those who locked it down with the love of their life pre-Tinder and fear they missed out on the heyday of online dating, what does this research mean for the many people who are currently in relationships that started with a swipe—or the millions of dating app users still looking for love online? We reached out to relationship expert Carolina Pataky, PhD, founder of South Florida’s Love Discovery Institute, for her take on the findings.

“When people meet offline, they encounter one another in a more holistic, organic way,” says Pataky, explaining that this context may lead to stronger romantic connections on a physiological level. “Subtle cues—tone of voice, body language, energy, and how someone moves in space—all become part of the first impression. These interactions activate deeper levels of the nervous system, fostering a sense of safety and resonance that’s hard to replicate through a curated online profile.”

The social environment may also be a factor. “Offline encounters often happen within a shared context—a friend group, workplace, community event—which naturally builds trust and accountability,” Pataky explains. “These embedded social networks act like invisible scaffolding that strengthens the bond. By contrast, online dating can accelerate attraction but often strips away those stabilizing elements of context, leaving couples to do extra work to create a sense of rootedness.”

Short answer: definitely not! While there may be some reasons couples who meet offline might be better positioned for long-term relationship success, Pataky notes that there are plenty of perks to meeting online as well.

For one thing, while the researchers behind the study pointed to the increased likelihood that couples who meet offline will share similar backgrounds as a potential reason for their success, there is something to be said for the more diverse dating pools the apps offer. “Online platforms can be extraordinary tools for expanding reach and exposure, especially for those whose communities might feel limited or homogenous,” says Pataky.

Not to mention, while the apps get a bad rap for “gamifying” dating, those who are using them to find a long-term relationship may be doing so more intentionally than any given person you happen to hit it off with at a bar.

“Couples who meet online often begin their journey with intentionality. Unlike serendipitous encounters, online daters are usually signaling that they are actively seeking connection, which can create clarity from the outset,” Pataky explains. “These couples may also develop skills early on that strengthen long-term resilience: navigating distance, managing uncertainty, and communicating through words rather than relying solely on chemistry.”

Thus, couples who are able to turn an app-based romance into a long-term partnership may “emerge with a relationship built on deliberate choice rather than convenience,” says Pataky. “In some ways, that can create a more conscious, enduring foundation than many offline pairings.”

At the end of the day, not really. There are potential relationship-boosting benefits to both online and offline origin stories. “Offline meetings may provide a head start in establishing depth, but online connections can be equally fulfilling if partners consciously invest in translating digital chemistry into embodied, lived intimacy,” says Pataky.

But while there may be pros and cons to both real-life meet-cutes and swipe-based romance, Pataky says daters and partnered people should “focus less on whether they met online or offline and more on cultivating curiosity, presence, and vulnerability when they engage.”

So if you managed to meet someone without the apps and this study has you doing a little victory lap, knock yourself out. But if you’re currently in a relationship that happened to start with a mutual right-swipe—or still looking for one on the apps—I promise you’re in no way doomed. Couples who meet online can be just as happy as those who meet offline—which also means that couples who snag a coveted meet-cute can wind up just as miserable as anybody else! (Just saying!)