- Published in:
- Nature
- Publication date:
- 22nd Nov 2007
Love. Palpitating heart. Butterfly tummy. Shortness of breath. We all know when we’re in love, and we certainly don’t need a professional diagnosis to tell us. But can science and technology help us find it in the first place? Are the workings of the heart a mystery that reason will never unravel, or can a scientific approach to matchmaking help us meet the one?
That was the question that acted as the catalyst for this story–that and my own personal experiences of dozens of first dates. I mean, when you’ve sunk a small fortune in subscription fees, fancy dinners, and a stylish wardrobe, and still not met the girl who makes your heart bang, you want to get something out of it, and for me that means a story . . .
Internet dating is still in its infancy, and yet it’s undergone an incredible period of growth over the last few years. Flinging off the last vestiges of awkward youth, the scene is starting to find its feet and is now a socially acceptable place to meet a partner.
Currently, matching algorithms run on the basis of conscious choices. Preferences for age, height, occupation etc are used to make suggestions for compatibilty. The next step will see a seismic shift in this process, as scientific (and not so scientific!) theories are leveraged. Chemistry.com is one such site that has already begun the trend, claiming that a personality assessment will help identify potential matches. Dating for the Wired Generation explores other possible matchmaking technologies–in a not altogether optimistic way . . .
Personally, I have my doubts. Falling is love is such a unique, complex event–and so grounded in the unconscious–that I feel the scientific method has a lot of catching up to do. Until I meet the one though, I’ll keep an open mind!