Facebook knows how long you'll be in a relationship

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the social network has said that it can predict if a relationship is a fling or something more serious.Updating your status to ‘in a relationship’ for three or more months means you’re likely be in it for the long haul, according to Facebook's data.Using the huge amounts of data it keeps on its members, Facebook’s data scientist, Bogdan State, looked at the relationship statuses of U.S. Facebook users from 2008 to 2011.The time a couple had stayed together, he found, was the biggest factor predicting whether a relationship would last or not.‘About half of all Facebook relationships that have survived three months are likely to survive to four years or longer,’ said Mr State.The study discounted those who were married and focused on members who were at least 23 years old.‘With every month that passes, more and more shaky relationships end, leaving an ever-larger proportion of solid relationships around,’ said Mr State. ‘This is exactly what we see in our data.’By analysing the pattern of breakups against seaons, Facebook found that relationships are most likely to end during the summer.There also seemed to be more breakups during 2011 than in other years.‘Could it be that a rebounding U.S. economy played a role?’ asked Mr State.With Facebook gathering even more data on individuals, it may soon know you’re about to break up before you do.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az