The Top 10 Websites that Destroy Relationships and Marriages

The Internet provides many opportunities for creating new relationships through social networking and online dating. However, some websites may be just as effective at destroying relationships. Below are the top 10 websites that can contribute to relationship problems, distress, and sometimes relationship crisis.

For some couples, Internet use is a symptom but not a root cause of relationship problems. However, for other couples, compulsive Internet use itself may result in one partner feeling abandoned or ignored.

The list below reveals our picks for the top 10 websites that harm relationships, in descending order:

10) YouTube (As a substitute for Porn)

YouTube is a problem website for couples who have installed pornography filters on their PCs. While explicit adult websites may be blocked from view, husbands can still search YouTube for the most arousing videos of scantily clad co-eds.

9) Drudge Report (drudgereport.com)

The Drudge Report’s news page is updated every three minutes—a constant I.V. drip of breaking news. Like Skinner’s pigeons tapping a bar for a food pellet, some people in relationships find it difficult to resist constantly checking The Drudge Report for updates. Relationships can struggle when one partner is unable to unplug and the other feels ignored.

8) Craigslist (www.craigslist.org)

In spite of the existence of more targeted, and sexually inspired, dating websites such as “Adult Friend Finder” (that also made the list), Craigslist is still a frequent choice for spouses looking for a casual erotic encounter. The risks of soliciting extra-marital liaisons on Craigslist are perhaps best illustrated by the recent case of Gary Wandschneider, a senior Pepsi executive, who connected with 22 year old Jessica Wolcott on the website. Things did not go well, as Wolcott attempted to extort Wandschneider for $125,000.

7) Adult Friend Finder (adultfriendfinder.com)

Couples in crisis often land in couples counseling when one finds evidence that their partner has visited or created a profile on Adult Friend Finder, a website that bills itself as: “the ultimate source for free sex personals and adult dating.” AshleyMadison.com is another potential source for sexual affairs, one that caters to married persons specifically.

6) Facebook (facebook.com)

Facebook connections and “Facebook friends” often become a source of relationship tension, as couples quarrel over who a significant other should and shouldn’t be “friends” with.

According to Dr. Anthony Centore, Founder of Thriveworks Counseling, “To people in your Facebook network, your actions are very public. Your significant other can see who you’ve been interacting with, and can scrutinize whether you are ‘guilty’ of flirting.”  Trouble can find the inactive Facebook user too, as secret liaisons can be exposed when someone ‘tags’ a photo.

5) Google Chrome’s Default Browser Page

Google Chrome is a relationship destroyer. The popular browser generates a “home screen” of the users’ viewing history along with a web page screenshot of recently visited websites.  A significant other could receive an unwelcome surprise when sitting down at their partner’s computer. Notable mention: Tabbed browsing can also present surprises, as careless spouses who don’t close out all their tabs give partners a front row seat to websites they’ve been visiting online—often pornography or even dating websites.

4) OK Cupid / Match (okcupid.com / match.com)

Couples in distress might find their partner or spouse on either OkCupid.com or Match.com. The most common response of the ‘caught’ partner is that they had innocently neglected to delete an old profile. eHarmony.com and Chemistry.com did not make our list as problem web sites for couples, because of their stronger stance against infidelity.

3) Twitter (twitter.com)

Unique to Twitter, partners may get into trouble as a result of this website, without ever even having an account. With Twitter, it is possible for a lying spouse to be found out via someone else’s public Twitter tweets. For example, a tweet such as “Happy Birthday my lady Mary-Sue” could alert Mary-Sue’s husband of an ongoing affair.

2) YouPorn (youporn dot com)

For many couples, a partner’s use of pornography creates significant relationship distress—as partners can become deeply hurt when they learn their significant other is satisfying sexual needs with the images of others. With youporn-dot-com, a partner could have a surprise when they try to type the URL “youtube.com,” and their web browser auto-completes the web address, based on past use. Note; while therapists are seeing symptoms of sexual addiction in women and men, pornography use is more often a behavior of men.

1) Gmail (gmail.com)

Gmail earns first place as a relationship killer for two reasons:

• It can be a compulsive and frequent distraction
• It can expose infidelity

Though checking e-mail seems innocuous enough, compulsive email checking is a serious problem for many high achieving, driven individuals. You don’t need to travel far to find someone who feels less important than their partners’ email. Persons today often complain that their partner never grants them their full attention.

Gmail is also an easy method for a partner to get caught cheating. This is due in part to Gmail’s large storage capacity and archiving feature (and excellent search capabilities). When someone neglects to log-out of their e-mail account, this presents an opportunity for a suspicious spouse to verify that a partner is (or was) cheating. This type of behavior is not uncommon, as a recent study by University of Oxford researchers, and published in the Journal Computers in Human Behavior, shows that one fifth of couples snoop in their partners email.

About Thriveworks Counseling and Life Coaching

Thriveworks Counseling and Life Coaching connects individuals and couples to excellent, licensed therapists. Clinical specialties include depression counseling, anxiety therapy, couples counseling, and personal growth.

Thriveworks Counseling’s philosophy is that that everyone has the ability to live a happy, successful, amazing life. For more information, contact Dr. Anthony Centore, Director. Phone: 617-395-5806. https://twx.atlantacounseling.com – support@thriveboston.com.