It's complicated: Why following your significant other on social media is a bad idea

Dr. Ian Kerner wants you to unfriend your significant other on social media. And he wants you to do it now.

The psychotherapist, who specializes in couples counseling, recently told Public Radio International that contrary to what your friend who posted 700 newlywed shots from her honeymoon thinks, being connected to your partner on social media is ultimately detrimental to the health of a relationship.

While many are quick on the trigger, posting every photo, tweeting every funny story, and writing mushy Facebook posts about a new bae, Kerner says that you're probably a lot better off holding back. Instead of focusing on documenting the relationship on social media, he advised couples to just focus on being in the relationship.

“I see technology and compatibility as one of the main subjects in therapy,” he told PRI in the interview. “So often, couples are really having side-by-side conversations—they’re not having direct face-to-face conversations because they’re also on an iPhone or a gadget, so they’re partially vacated. In couples therapy, sometimes that’s the only time that they’re actually having a real, genuine face-to-face conversation.”

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