Researchers have discovered the online formula for love.
“Online dating” services claim to have the magic formula for finding the perfect partner for each of their users. Scientists have been studying for years whether this is actually possible.
According to a 2012 study by Northwestern University, psychologist Eli Finkel claimed that there is no algorithm that can successfully predict our ideal partner. With this conclusion, the psychologist strongly opposed the claims of “matchmaking companies.”
Researchers found that these websites “cannot possibly know how two partners will develop over time and how the dynamics of their attraction will promote a long-term relationship.”
The question that arose in Kang Zhao’s scientific team was whether the problem lies in the fact that these websites have not yet found the appropriate mathematical formula.
A team of researchers led by Kang Zhao from the University of Iowa claims to have discovered a method that maximizes the chances of a successful online “match”.
The new formula is of great interest because it is based on technology that has been used by successful online businesses, such as Amazon and Netflix. It is based on the user’s desires and not on profiles filled out by “love hunters” that can be inaccurate. “What we did in our research was that we based it on the activity of the users and not on what they declare in their personal profiles”, says Kang Zhao. According to the researcher “activity reflects attractiveness”.
This technique is known as “combinatorial filtering” and is already used by advertising companies, while the use of this particular formula in “matching” companies is under discussion.
The research will be published in 2014 in the scientific journal IEEE Intelligent Systems Journal. "Whether the ideal match will be found for someone, I don't know, but what we can definitely achieve is a successful date," Kang Zhao says characteristically.
Increased interest in online dating
According to the Pew Research Center, 11% of Internet users (and 9% of American adults) say they have visited an online dating site. This percentage shows a big increase since 2008, when the percentage of Americans was just 3%. Furthermore, 66% of Internet users have gone on a date with someone they met on services they use, while 23% of couples who met on “matchmaking” sites got married or started a long-term relationship.
Source: kathimerini.gr
