Last week, the New York Times published an article on online dating by two psychology professors, entitled The Dubious Science of Online Dating:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/opinion/sunday/online-dating-sites-dont-match-hype.html .
In the article, the authors question the fundamental concept of utilizing algorithms or other formulas to find compatibility or romantic connection between two single people. Regarding the claims of popular mainstream dating sites, the authors state: “the past 80 years of scientific research about what makes people romantically compatible suggests that such sites are unlikely to do what they claim to do.”
We’ve seen this before. More and more, we are hearing experts and psychologists question the validity of online dating algorithms. The notion of plugging in your personal characteristics into a formula, answering a series of canned questions, and letting the system find you a match, is starting to sound impractical. It is starting to seem like dating sites are using these formulas merely as a marketing tool to gain members. Worse, some have suggested there is a more sinister mindset behind these algorithms; make people feel as though they are not smart enough or capable to know what they want in a romantic partner, so they need to rely on teams of psychologists with impressive credentials.
I Emailed one of the authors of the aforementioned article. I described my reasons for creating TruConnection.com — that I feel matchmaking algorithms based on self-description and questionnaires are inherently faulty, and that there is a better way to make a meaningful connection when meaning online. I suggested that one’s creative self-expression + photo (and only these things) is the best first impression when meeting online.
He wrote back. He said my approach was novel, and it was plausible that people can learn more about each other through my method than the standard methods of online dating. He added there has not been any research done on the matter, as it is a new concept.
I urge anyone who is considering online dating to give TruConnection.com a try. We launched on January 30th, and currently have just under 150 members.
-Mike
Mike@TruConnection.com
