A) Is online dating a good predictor of how well two people will work out in a relationship?
B) Bennett, Drake. "The Shaky Science of Online Dating." Business Source Premier. EBSCO, 04 Apr. 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
Online dating is becoming more and more popular. In the past, it was looked at as last refuge. Today, millions upon millions have online dating profiles. Sites like eHarmony claim that by use of their science "algorithm", they are able to correctly determine each person's best suitable partner. In a new issue of the Psychological Science in the Public Interest (PSPI), 5 psychologists argue that the only real benefit of online dating is that it increases your odds of finding a partner solely on the fact you are able to see more people than normal. It has even been shown in speed dating tests that many times people end up being attracted to someone that didn't fit any of the descriptions they had given for their ideal match beforehand. This happens because many times, people do not know what they actually want. One study even found that degree of political orientation, religion, and life values were not associated with political satisfaction. But eHarmony responded to this criticism and said that in 2009 eHarmony was responsible for 5% of all marriages; 542 marriages a day. They also went on to say that their matching system works and has been shown to work.
This source made me realize that maybe science isn't a factor when it comes to online dating. It might be successful just because people are exposed to more people than usual. Although on the other hand science could play a big part in it as that is what eHarmony claims to do. This source makes me question which statement of these is true and i am determined to look more in to this subject at hand. This source successfully answers my question which would be "yes" BUT it shows two different reasons behind the answer so i will need to research that more thoroughly.
Bennett states that "A single person today doesn’t have to be content with whom they might meet at work or a party, or at church or the local bar. They can go online and browse millions of profiles to find that special someone.." however, according to Brown, on the other hand, this is risky behavior because she blatantly points out that ".People who use the Internet to meet sex partners
may be at a higher risk for contracting HIV and STIs."
This source has led me to ask whether or not online dating is successful because of exposure to more people or because of a scientific algorithm. By researching this more, i will be able to come up with a more detailed and correct explanation on whether online dating is a good predictor of how well a relationship will turn out. The answers i have so far contradict each other so it is hard to say which one is correct.
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