Contrary to common perception that dating apps only encourage casual relationships, a new study has shown that people who met their partners on these mobile applications have often strong long-term relationship goals.

Moreover, these new ways of meeting people encourage socio-educational and geographical mixing, said the study published in the journal PLOS ONE.

What is more, women who found their partner through a dating app have stronger desires and intentions to have children than those who found their partner offline, said the study.

"The Internet is profoundly transforming the dynamics of how people meet," said researcher Gina Potarca from University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland.

"It provides an unprecedented abundance of meeting opportunities, and involves minimal effort and no third-party intervention."

These new dating technologies include the smartphone apps like Tinder or Grindr, where users select partners by browsing and swiping on pictures.

The Geneva-based researcher decided to investigate couples' intentions to start a family, their relationship satisfaction and individual well-being, as well as to assess couple composition.

Potarca used a 2018 family survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. The analysis presented in this study looks at a sub-sample of 3,235 people over the age of 18 who were in a relationship and who had met their partner in the last decade.

The results showed that couples that formed after meeting on an app were more motivated by the idea of cohabiting than others.

"Knowing that dating apps have likely become even more popular during this year's periods of lockdown and social distancing, it is reassuring to dismiss alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools," said Potarca.