DailyDirt: Modern Dating

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Trying to find a date using statistics and computers isn't exactly a new idea. (Punch cards were used in some of the earliest versions of computer dating.) As technology has improved, you might expect that dating has gotten better as well, but some modifications of the Drake equation show just how unlikely the odds are. Here are a few more data points in the realm of romantic relationships.

• A Canadian study suggests that kids who start dating early (at an average age of 11.6 years old) are prone to more school and behavioral problems than their late-booming peers. Not surprisingly, students with high academic goals were more likely to be late bloomers on the dating scene. [url]
• The "Yelp for Men" app lets women rate guys/ex-boyfriends/bosses as relationship material -- algorithmically generating a score (on a 1-10 scale) for every dude. The company behind the app boasts that 25% of all college women have used Lulu at some point. [url]
• The Pew Research Center has been tracking online dating statistics and has seen online dating get more popular with time. Nearly 60% of all internet users say online dating is a sensible way to meet people (up from 44% in 2005). [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: algorithm, dating, drake equation, lulu, pew research center