An algorithm for love

As someone who met their current boyfriend of three years on a booze-induced night out (sorry Mum, sorry Dad), I don’t have much experience in the world of swiping left and right. However, according to a study by Statista for the Digital Market Outlook (DMO) in June of this year, over 91 million people worldwide use dating websites or apps and­ a whopping 26% of the US singletons are paying to use dating services- closely followed by 21% of the UK’s finest bachelors and bachelorettes. ­­

There are obviously many pitfalls to online dating…

There’s clearly a demand for dating, but how exactly do these matchmaking companies attempt to successfully pair up two individuals? (Or more, whatever you’re into!) Different websites use different strategies. Match.com, for example, uses a series of questions in which you can select your preferences and specify how important certain attributes are to you. A profile is created and pairs are found based on mutual interests in hobbies and physical features. However, there are obviously many pitfalls to online dating. Onto the first issue – lying!

Match did a survey and came across some interesting (but not entirely surprising) facts: ­

• 19% of daters fibbed about their sexual history.
• Men are more likely to lie about their finances and jobs.
• Women are 7% more likely to lie about their weight (guilty).

I couldn’t find a statistic to prove how many men had lied about their height, but I’m sure we can imagine! Although Match.com claim that one in five relationships, and one in six marriages are initiated online, there remain many sceptical academics, as well as singles still desperate to find love.

Some websites and apps, such as eHarmony, use a much more complicated process with specially designed computer algorithms. eHarmony recently revealed that their algorithm uses “dimensions of compatibility that predict successful and lasting relationships.” Dr Steve Carter, eHarmony’s chief scientist, explained that the key to success with using such intricate algorithms with defined rules is to be less picky. “We saw that by giving people the opportunity to say what race do you want to be presented with? what religion? what denomination? how much can they smoke or drink? people thought ‘Oh, I have to make a choice here’ when they might not have made a choice,” he said in a debate staged by the Institute of Art and Ideas in London. The idea being that, with hundreds of factors to consider, an algorithm calculates too specific a result, decreasing the chances of genuine attraction upon meeting.

Unlike other dating websites, Tinder profiles are more about trusting in facial attraction…

For example, if you were asked, “Which hair colour would you like your partner to have?” and you selected brunette, then the algorithm would only ever match you with brunette haired individuals. Realistically, while you might believe you would be most attracted to a brunette, you wouldn’t be offended by someone with blonde, red or black hair- because in the greater scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. On the other hand, it may be essential that your partner is religious, or a non-smoker. So, eHarmony introduced a scale of importance to their questionnaires. Singles are now able to rate how crucial attributes are to them, enabling the algorithms to filter out unimportant features and provide a broader selection of potential mates.

Jessica Carbino, an online dating sociologist for Tinder revealed the science behind the 8 million connections made via the swiping system. Unlike other dating websites, Tinder profiles are more about trusting in facial attraction and short bios, as opposed to lengthy preferential lists. Carbino refers to this feature as ‘thin slicing’ – a method by which we make quick decisions with little thinking or reasoning. The saying goes “never judge a book by its cover,” but this is the exact methodology in which Tinder goes by. Superficial? Maybe. But nevertheless- it saves time. To maximise your chances of a swipe right, tips such as; having a dog in your photo (men are twice as likely to be matched if their display picture features a dog), wearing red to suggest sexuality, and smiling have all been statistically proven to benefit both men and women on the app. Could there be a method to the match-making madness, after all?