HARVARD STUDY — Online dating is an undoubtedly popular way to meet potential partners. 11% of Internet users (16 million Americans) have used an online dating website. Online dating websites are highly successful in allowing people to connect with others outside of their existing social circles.
Most online dating sites use a "shopping" interface like that used by other commercial sites, in which commodities – users – are classified by different attributes (e.g., height, weight, income) which can be parsed and sorted in any way the shopper desires. Choosing partners online by sorting them on various attributes lacks the crucial component of real-time interaction so crucial to the acquaintanceship process. We sought to more closely mirror face-to-face interaction, where people get a sense of others – in real time – that is simply not available through standard online dating websites.
In an attempt to bridge this key difference between online and offline dating, we created Virtual Dates, online interactions designed to improve online dating by allowing daters to interact in a virtual environment that mirrors first dates in the real world.
Our research has demonstrated the benefits of adding image content to stimulate conversation. Individuals can like each other more if they are given an opportunity to chat online before chatting in person.
Our results suggest that Virtual Dates cause individuals to develop greater affinity toward one another when they actually meet, in line with other research showing the positive impact of real-time online rapport.
READ THE FULL STUDY
“People are Experience Goods: Improving Online Dating with Virtual Dates”
JOURNAL OF INTERACTIVE MARKETING VOLUME 22 / NUMBER 1 / WINTER 2008
http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/frost%20chance%20norton%20ariely.pdf
They only conducted 3 studies.
“Study 1: Fruitless Searching in Online Dating
Method and Results Participants (N = 132; 49 male, Mage = 39.4, SD = 11.9) completed the survey by following a link on an online dating website.”
“Study 2: People are Experience Goods
Method and Results Participants (N = 47; 37 male, Mage = 24.2, SD = 7.7) were unmarried individuals who completed this survey online as part of an unrelated series of experiments.”
“Study 3: Virtual Dates
Method
Participants (N = 24; 12 male, Mage = 27.1, SD = 5.1) were recruited on an online dating website we created for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology community, thematchup.net. Participants completed the first two sections of the study – reading one profile and going on one Virtual Date – at their home or office by logging on to a preassigned website. One to two days later, all participants met face-to-face during a 4- minute speed-date. After the speed-date, participants answered four questions about their partner: ….
”
Those researches did not study in depth any actual online dating site offering personality/compatibility matching methods.
Kindest Regards,
Fernando Ardenghi.
Buenos Aires.
Argentina.
ardenghifer@gmail.com
“People are Experience Goods: Improving Online Dating with Virtual Dates”
JOURNAL OF INTERACTIVE MARKETING VOLUME 22 / NUMBER 1 / WINTER 2008
http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/frost%20chance%20norton%20ariely.pdf
They only conducted 3 studies.
“Study 1: Fruitless Searching in Online Dating
Method and Results Participants (N = 132; 49 male, Mage = 39.4, SD = 11.9) completed the survey by following a link on an online dating website.”
“Study 2: People are Experience Goods
Method and Results Participants (N = 47; 37 male, Mage = 24.2, SD = 7.7) were unmarried individuals who completed this survey online as part of an unrelated series of experiments.”
“Study 3: Virtual Dates
Method
Participants (N = 24; 12 male, Mage = 27.1, SD = 5.1) were recruited on an online dating website we created for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology community, thematchup.net. Participants completed the first two sections of the study – reading one profile and going on one Virtual Date – at their home or office by logging on to a preassigned website. One to two days later, all participants met face-to-face during a 4- minute speed-date. After the speed-date, participants answered four questions about their partner: ….
”
Those researches did not study in depth any actual online dating site offering personality/compatibility matching methods.
Kindest Regards,
Fernando Ardenghi.
Buenos Aires.
Argentina.
ardenghifer@gmail.com
Very interesting research findings! Virtual dating is a terrific way to bridge the gap between reading a profile and meeting in-person. It’s great to see scientific evidence on the effectiveness of virtual dating … particularly from Harvard!!
Very interesting research findings! Virtual dating is a terrific way to bridge the gap between reading a profile and meeting in-person. It’s great to see scientific evidence on the effectiveness of virtual dating … particularly from Harvard!!