A naughty text or photo to your man/woman may seem like an innocent

Researchers from the University of Alberta found that while sending a cheeky message to your significant other may spice things up in your relationship, it also brings out certain negative aspects of your relationship.

From the findings of the research sexters reported feeling insecure in their relationships, displayed lower levels of commitment and also recorded having a higher degree of couple conflict.

“The sexters are focusing more on the sexual part of their relationship and may be neglecting other areas,” said family scientist and lead author of the study, Adam Galovan.

In addition to that over reliance on technology in relationships could also interfere with the success of a relationship. This is due to the fact that there is more focus on using technology to communicate with your partner instead of focusing on interpersonal interactions with your significant other.

“These folks want to get to the end goal – a good relationship – without doing the hard work of talking, listening and spending quality time together,” Galovan commented.

He further went on to explain that this may be as a result of the instant gratification culture where we want everything now.

“Put the phone down and have a good old fashioned conversation – spend some time together nurturing the relationship – instead of shortcutting with sexting to try to get a quality relationship,” Galovan advised.

The research however acknowledged the positive side of sexting which can add some spice to the relationship and also the fact that people who regularly sext with their partner have a greater sexual satisfaction as compared to those that don’t sext.

The research was conducted by analyzing the relationships of 615 people.