Here are four ways that technology may negatively impact your marriage.

Using various forms of communication like Facebook, emails, texting, tweets, and DMs may seem convenient. It provides the ability to quickly ask your husband to grab some lettuce from the grocery store on the way home or inform your wife that you will be home later than usual. Nevertheless, relying solely on technology for communication could potentially harm the intimacy in your relationship.

How could this be? Doesn’t connecting more (in any capacity) foster closeness? Well, the answer is yes and no. Any connection with a loved one beats no connection at all, provided the connection is neutral or positive. Sending a text that reads, “See you after work” is neutral information-sharing.

On the other hand, sending a text that says, “I love you!” conveys a much more positive message and fosters loving feelings… at least a bit. And swapping naughty texts back and forth over the course of the day gets you hot for each other. However, virtual connecting is never a substitute for physical togetherness and it tends to make matters worse in your relationship.

Here are four reasons why technology is damaging your marriage:

• Technology makes it easier to fight dirty.

Anger can be too easily impulsively shot out in an email or text. Too many folks dash off a quick nasty comment in response to something that annoyed them. If they click “send” before they’ve had time to calm down and think through a more tactful response, there’s likely to be trouble ahead.

• “Checking things online” interrupts your quality time together.

Folks who connect over so many electronic channels with their loved ones may be doing the same with friends and business partners. Therein lies the problem. Maintaining all those connections can slice and dice your time with your main loved one. Each and every interruption to your time together diminishes the intensity of your connection.

• Virtual connections can’t replace physical intimacy.

When you receive a text or email, you only receive information, without the emotional connection of physical interaction. The simple acts of looking lovingly at each other, holding hands, and whispering sweet nothings are what typically foster loving feelings between partners. Eye-to-eye and skin-to-skin contact release the love hormone oxytocin, which enhances feelings of affection and strengthens the sense of bonding. These are things that cannot be conveyed through a text message.

• Messages are easily misinterpreted.

Texts can only convey so much through words without what psychologists call “prosody” or the sound of voices. This means that misinterpretations of texts can run rampant. Sending a text that reads, “See you after work” can be interpreted as an annoyed order if the receiver is sensitive. In this regard, at least phone calls (which add voice to the bandwidth) are less likely to create upsets from misperceptions.

Many couples find that sharing their thoughts helps to build emotional connections and nurture intimacy. Talking in person can enhance this connection even further, as you can see, hear, and touch each other. Unfortunately, technology is unable to replicate this level of connection.