Why ‘In a Relationship’ on Facebook Means More Than You Think
Worried about your relationship with your significant other? A quick look at your Facebook profile can tell you a lot about how you’re doing as a couple.
Listing yourself as “in a relationship” with your partner, posting photos of you and your partner together, and posting on your partner’s wall are all signs of a committed relationship, at least among college-age couples, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The study looked at 180 undergraduates who were in romantic relationships and asked them a number of questions about their relationship and looked at their Facebook profiles. Six months later, the researchers returned and asked the students whether they were still in that relationship.
The study results suggest that displaying a public commitment on Facebook, a highly public platform, is correlated with more enduring relationships between couples. These public displays of devotion actually help cement relationships as they develop over time.
However, not all couple-related activity on Facebook is good for a relationship. The number of mutual friends each couple had and the number of partner-initiated wall posts were negatively correlated with relationship commitment. In addition, joint affiliations, such as attending the same events or being in the same Facebook groups, was not associated with commitment.
As annoying as couples who broadcast their relationship all over Facebook might be, they’re more likely to be in it for the long haul. So consider blocking them if you’ve had enough of the online PDA, because as they study suggest, there’s probably going to be a whole lot more of it.
Chart of the Day: Long Way to Go on Coronavirus Testing
The White House on Friday unveiled plans for a new effort to ramp up testing for Covid-19, which experts say is an essential part of limiting the spread of the virus. This chart from Vox gives a sense of just how far the U.S. has to go to catch up to other countries that are dealing with the pandemic, including South Korea, the leading virus screener with 3,692 tests per million people. The U.S., by comparison, has done about 23 tests per million people as of March 12.
After Spending $2 Billion, Air Force Bails Out on Planned Upgrades of B-2 Bombers
The Air Force has scrapped a planned upgrade of its B-2 stealth bomber fleet — even after spending $2 billion on the effort — because defense contractor Northrup Grumman didn’t have the necessary software expertise to complete the project on time and on budget, Bloomberg’s Anthony Capaccio reports, citing the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer.
Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters that the nearly $2 billion that had already been spent on the program wasn’t wasted because “we are still going to get upgraded electronic displays.”
Big Hurdle for Sanders’ Plan to Cancel Student Debt
Bernie Sanders wants to eliminate $1.6 trillion in student debt, to be paid for by a tax on financial transactions, but doing so won’t be easy, says Josh Mitchell of The Wall Street Journal.
The main problem for Sanders is that most Americans don’t support the plan, with 57% of respondents in a poll last fall saying they oppose the idea of canceling all student debt. And the politics are particularly thorny for Sanders as he prepares for a likely general election run, Mitchell says: “Among the strongest opponents are groups Democrats hope to peel away from President Trump: Rust Belt voters, independents, whites, men and voters in rural areas.”
Number of the Day: $7 Million
That’s how much Michael Bloomberg is spending per day in his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination, according to new monthly filings with the Federal Election Commission. “In January alone, Bloomberg dropped more than $220 million on his free-spending presidential campaign,” The Hill says. “That breaks down to about $7.1 million a day, $300,000 an hour or $5,000 per minute.”