Couples who get together over the web are also reported to have greater marital satisfaction.

Couples who meet online are more satisfied in their relationships and are less likely to break up than those who get together in bars, the workplace or on blind dates, according to a study.

Researchers in America found that more than a third (35 per cent) of couples who married between 2005 and 2012 met on the internet, with 45 per cent of those using dating websites and 21 per cent finding each other on social networks.

The academics from the University of Chicago, Harvard University and Gestalt Research said their work – published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal – shows “evidence for a dramatic shift since the advent of the internet in how people are meeting their spouse”.

“I prefer online dating. Deleting with one click is less exhausting than a long and painful break-up!”

They questioned 19,131 respondents from across the US who got married between 2005 and 2012, and found the percentage of marital break-ups was lower for those who met their partners online (six per cent) than in more traditional places (eight per cent).

Couples who got together over the web also reported greater marital satisfaction, theresearchers said.

Most couples who met in offline environments found each other at work (22 per cent), or through a friend (19 per cent), while 11 per cent met at school and 10 per cent at social gatherings.

Of the currently married couples, those who grew up together or who met their spouse through school, place of worship or social gathering, reported the highest levels of marital satisfaction, the study said, whereas those who met their spouse through work, family, bar, club or blind date expressed the lowest levels.

The study said: “These data suggest that the internet may be altering the dynamics and outcomes of marriage itself.”