Just imagine how discouraging that must be, especially given the claims that there is some kind of foolproof formula that has been painstakingly crafted. Made by scientists who have found that you are just beyond help. There is nothing like being told by a guy in a lab coat that you are doomed to die alone. But these poor souls can take heart. Because it turns out these “scientific methods†might not be so scientific, after all. A study done by researchers at the Boston University, led by Associate Professor of Social Psychology Eli Finkel, was bound to get to the bottom of it.
Boston Dating
Boston Girls
How often have you come across ads promising to help you find your soulmate through a scientific matchmaking process? It might be based on personality compatibility, or algorithms created around your daily habits or life goals. This is a common claim, and one that has caused a great deal of stress for those select users who have actually been ‘rejected’ by these websites. You read that right: some online dating sites will deny an applicants application, as they claim they are unable to find a match.
The “Science†Of Romance
What doesn’t add up is the supposed algorithm and its effectiveness. On a site by site basis, there is no published information on exactly how this matching process is meant to work. Nor on how they have been tested and proven in an official, clinical setting. Which eliminates it from the necessary tests to prove it’s scientific status. There is also no explanation as to anomalies in long term patterns. This means personality changes, maturity, life changes, trauma or other factors that would potentially eliminate, strengthen or otherwise effect the match of a couple.
The Boston Sites
In the study, they looked at dating specific Boston sites like OKCupid, Matchmaker, Eharmony, Zoosk, Badoo and a number of other candidates. These included niche dating sites, but only those dedicated to finding long term romance, or an actual partner. For example, sex based sites like AdultFriendFinder or Ashley Madison did were not included. Nor were non-dating sites where partners might be met, like Craigslist, Twitter or Facebook.
The Research
In the beginning stages, they found two major shifts in the online dating world. The first was in the money spent advertising such services as more wholesome, breaking through the stigma of it being a dangerous or sleazy way of meeting other Boston Singes. The second was an increase in those who have actively used dating sites. Thousands of people a year log on to hook up, and that number is increasing by the day. Both of these pieces of data add up as being partially caused by successful marketing making it more socially acceptable, and by the wider nature of the web as it is today. Which would seem to suggest a trend that will continue to grow.
What This Means
There is no successful algorithm from a scientific standpoint. There has never been published data meeting the requirements to make it a sanctioned process. Which seems to break all claims that there is any kind of science behind it. However, this doesn’t mean that Boston online dating sites don’t work. You can find people who have similar interests that you may or may not like. But when it comes down to it, compatibility has to come the hard way: through trial, error and effort. Sorry, folks.