New formula for successful online dating

It is the ultimate test for big data - finding the secret algorithm of love. Online dating companies say they have the know-how and scientists have been studying the question for years. The answers, alas, are not clear-cut for the lovelorn who scour the Internet looking for the perfect mate.

A 2012 study by researchers led by Northwestern University psychologist Eli Finkel concluded there was no algorithm that could predict a successful match, notwithstanding the claims of online dating firms.
"No compelling evidence supports matching sites' claims that mathematical algorithms work," said the study published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

The researchers wrote that dating sites "are in a poor position to know how the two partners will grow and mature over time... and how the dynamics of their interaction will ultimately promote or undermine romantic attraction and long-term relationship well-being."

But could it be that dating sites simply have not yet found the right mathematical formula?

'NETFLIX FORMULA' FOR LOVE?

A team of researchers led by Kang Zhao at the University of Iowa say in a 2014 study that they found a method that markedly improves chances for online matches. The new formula, interestingly, is based on the techniques used by successful online companies like Amazon and Netflix, and are based on user recommendations, not merely profiles filled out by love seekers which may be incomplete or inaccurate.
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Mike_L wrote:You dream-smothering, bubble-bursting brute, you!

Singles turn to specialty dating sites to find love
2014-02-14

Traditional online dating sites attract many people looking for love, but niche sites for book fans, pet lovers and even prisoners are helping Cupid's arrow hit the right target.

For taller-than-average people, there is tallfriends.com, and if pets are important, datemypet.com may help. Foodies who prefer not to eat meat can try VeggieDate, and fans of Apple products can turn to Cupidtino to find their perfect match.
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Findyourfacemate.com uses a dater's facial features to match them with a partner. After uploading a photo to the site, the system measures 67 points on the face and compares them to everyone in the database using an algorithm to find the best match.

It's based on the premise that when you see a face similar to your own, it triggers a sense of recognition or chemistry and that similar facial features equal complementary traits.
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What Facebook knows about love, in numbers

With 1.23 billion users in all the flavours and up-and-down stages of romantic relationships, Facebook knows a thing or two about love.
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...the patterns Facebook's researchers can detect help illustrate just how useful the site's vast trove of data can be in mapping human interactions and proving or disproving assumptions about relationships. Can horoscopes predict lasting love? Forget about it.

"We have such a wide-ranging set of data, including on places there may not be data on otherwise," Develin said, adding that because Facebook knows a lot about people's authentic identity, there are "almost no boundaries" to the kinds of questions the researchers can explore - about the structure of society, culture and how people interact.

Someday, researchers studying Facebook data may be able to predict whether a couple will break up, learn whether people are happy together or see what makes relationships last.
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