Is Online Chemistry Possible?

Comedian Adam Sandler once said, “Chemistry can be a good and bad thing. Chemistry is good when you make love with it. Chemistry is bad when you make crack with it.” All kidding aside, chemistry is one of the most important ingredients in any relationship. But with so many relationships now forming via the Internet, is online chemistry possible?

Chemistry is defined as, “the emotional or psychological interaction between two people, esp. when experienced as a powerful mutual attraction.” The definition doesn’t mention anything about there needing to be one-on-one physical contact for chemistry to happen. So, it seems that online chemistry is absolutely possible.

It’s also important to realize that while online chemistry is possible, the online portion of a relationship is just the beginning and will have to eventually be brought into the “real world.” Meeting online gives busy people a great outlet to meet a counterpart and discover what they have in common (i.e. music, books, jobs, family, religion, politics).

It’s been argued by dating experts that chemistry is something that is felt and cannot be expressed via a monitor, keyboard or mouse. This makes sense to a degree. How a person smells, tastes or feels, as well as the sound of a person’s voice, can all help create chemistry. But it’s not the only ingredients necessary.

Chemistry is evident when two people become infatuated with each other and the levels of dopamine rise. This can be achieved via online interaction. Just look at “Fifty Shades of Grey” and other erotic novels that change a person’s chemical levels simply by conjuring sexual thoughts, situations and images in one’s head. It’s not like there are two people physically acting out the scenes of the book.

Meeting someone online is a great way to start a connection and establish chemistry. Of course, it’s no substitution for the real thing — human-to-human touch, smell, taste, etc. But then again, not all relationships have ideal situations.