A recent survey conducted by Pew Research Center’s Internet Project found that 11% of American adults have used online dating sites or mobile dating apps. Additionally, according to a separate survey on attitudes toward online dating, 59% of internet users agree that “online dating is a good way to meet people.” This dramatic increase in prevalence of and attitude toward online dating provokes the question of whether there is some scientific basis behind this relatively new phenomenon.
Dr. Cacioppo, the scientific advisor for eHarmony along with the help from two statisticians from Harvard School of Public Health conducted a survey to assess the quality of relationships of 19,131 Americans. The survey included items such as “we are able to understand each other’s feelings,” and respondents had to indicate their degree of agreement as well as their degree of happiness with their marriage.
Results of the survey showed that over a third of the recently married (2005-2012) population met their spouse online. Additionally, they found that those who met online were less likely to divorce and showed higher martial satisfaction ratings. However, the study did not take into account the potential differences (in personality, motivation, etc.) of these online daters as compared to the rest of the population. In other words, there could be something about people who choose to date online that leads to better martial outcomes.
Moreover, online dating might provide what Psychologist Dr. Hibberd deems a “social vacuum.” That is, it is a relatively anonymous space for interaction without the bother of social pressures and behavioural regulation. On the other hand, the same level of anonymity could lead to more dishonesty, exaggeration, and the phenomenon of shopping around without consequences. Will the time and cognitive effort invested in searching for the right person lead to more commitment?
Aside from the inherent structure of online dating sites that might improve the odds of finding love (i.e., access), is there anything scientific about the diagnostic tests given to users and the algorithms applied to fulfill the “perfect match”? A critical analysis by Finkel et al (2012) might shed some light on the issues associated with online dating. The personality assessments on online dating sites could be subjected to the Barnum effect, where the generic nature of the items might apply to everyone. Further, an algorithm that matches based on similarity need to specify what kind of similarity (e.g., hobbies, geographic location, etc.) and also how similar. It is unclear as to how the degree of similarity or complementariness predicts better outcomes.
Finally, Finkel et al (2012) outlines one key flaw to the inherent structure of online dating sites: a conflict of interest between wanting to keep the users as long as possible (therefore unmatched) and simultaneously keeping the promise of finding love.
In the end, it is really up to the users to decide the relative trade-off between dating online and in the real world. Some may say that dating online provides users with direct access to a large amount of information about potential partners without the hassle of small talk. However, it is important to keep in mind that real-life interactions requires a substantial amount of data processing. After all, it’s not about how much data, but what kind of data is needed to predict good outcomes.
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