A new study has found that people who boast about their relationship on social media – Facebook, specifically – are more likely to stay together.

一项新的研究发现：那些喜欢在社交媒体——尤其是脸书上——秀恩爱的人更有可能最终在一起。

The study, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tracked 180 graduates in relationships, initially asking them questions on their level of commitment and length of their relationship.

这项来自威斯康辛大学的研究追踪了180名恋爱中的毕业生，一开始便问了他们关于许下了多大的承诺以及恋爱持续了多久的问题。

They were then asked to log in to their Facebook accounts, so researchers could see how many photos the participants had posted with their significant others, and if they had changed their status to ‘in a relationship’.

然后他们被要求登录自己的脸书账户，这样研究者就可以看到参与调查者上传了多少张自己和重要的另一半的合照，以及他们是否把脸书状态改成了“恋爱中”。

Researchers also asked the students how many times each person in the couple had written on the other’s timeline in the last month, and the number of mutual Facebook friends they shared.

研究者还问了学生们，上个月两人有多少次在对方时间轴上留言，以及两人在脸书上有多少个共同好友。

Six months after the initial questioning, each couple was asked if they were still dating. And to everyone’s absolute shock, the ones that posted more photos with their partners were more likely to still be together.

在问完这些初始问题的6个月后，每对情侣都被问及是否仍在约会。让人大跌眼镜的是，那些在脸书上上传和另一半合照越多的人仍然在一起的可能性更大。

It is probably because they’re too embarrassed to back out as it’s all plastered over the internet.

这也许是因为他们觉得自己已经在网上如此放肆地秀恩爱了，收回这些照片就成了一件极其尴尬的事情。

The co-authors of the study explained however, that by publicly confirming their relationships on social media, the couples had deepened their bond.

然而这项研究的协同作者解释道，情侣间通过在社交媒体上公开确定恋爱关系能够加彼此间的感情纽带。

They wrote: ‘These publicly posted cues likely induced participants to perceive themselves as part of a romantic unit, thus cementing the relationship.’

他们写道：“这些公开上传的秀恩爱合照有可能引发参与者将自己视为两人恋爱关系不可或缺的一部分，从而使得这段感情更为牢固。”