Young woman uses her mobile phone at the Ascot races. Mobile phone text messages are changing the way people approach romantic relationships, according to a survey published in the British newspaper The Times. Mobile phone text messages are changing the way people approach romantic relationships, according to a survey published in the British newspaper The Times. More than half of mobile phone users aged 18 to 24 have sent or received an invitation to a date via text message, while a similar number have exchanged sexually-explicit messages, the study by the London School of Economics showed. Just fifty-three per cent agreed that sending a flirtatious message to someone while in a relationship was a form of cheating. "It acts as a kind of subliminal zone, an exclusive forum where the normal social rules are suspended," said Kate Fox, director of the Social Issues Research Centre. "People often say things in texts which they would never say in 'real life'." "When it comes to dating, a text gives you that chance to compose your thoughts, rather than having to speak spontaneously in a phone call with that person," she said. The survey also found that 54 percent of women under 25 used their mobile phone in public to deter people from approaching them. British mobile phone users send an average of 3.6 text messages and make 2.8 phone calls a day. Fifty-one percent of the 16,500 respondents sent at least six text messages a day but only 15 percent made six or more mobile phone calls in a day.   (Agencies)

英國《泰晤士報》公布的一項調查結果顯示，手機短信正在改變人們談情說愛的方式。 這項由倫敦經濟學院所做的調查表明，在18至24歲的手機用戶中，一半以上的人通過手機短信發出或收到約會邀請，同時，另有一半多的人發過色情短信。 而僅有53％的人認為背著戀人給其他人發挑逗短信是對情侶不忠的一種表現。 社會事務研究中心主任凱特·福克斯說：“手機短信好比一個潛意識地帶，在這個特殊的區域里，正常的社會法則都不起作用了。” “人們常會在短信里說那些他們在‘現實生活’中永遠不可能說的話。” 她說：“說到約會，發短信可以讓你整理好想要表達的意思，不像在打電話時只能臨時發揮。” 同時，調查發現，在25歲以下的女性中，有54％在公共場所使用手機是為了防止別人靠近她們。 英國的手機用戶平均每天發3.6條短信，打2.8個手機電話。在16500名調查對象中，有51％的人一天至少發六條短信，而只有15％的人在一天內用手機打六個或更多電話。 (英語點津姍姍編輯)