A new study says that apps that uses sophisticated algorithms to determine compatibility are less reliable than you think
If you've ever gone a date with someone you met online and they rejected you by saying, "it's not you, it's me," we have good news: they weren't lying, and it might not have been your fault. In fact, the authors of an August study have determined that dating app algorithms basically can't predict compatibility at all.
The authors of the Psychological Science study tested their own
questionnaire-based attraction algorithm and discovered that their
well-educated guesses couldn’t predict anything about what would happen
after two strangers actually met for the first time.
To find out whether algorithms could predict mutual attraction, the
researchers used 100 self-reported traits and partner preferences (for
instance, "I enjoy binge-watching Game of Thrones") to predict a degree
of variance in the choices of two strangers who then met in real life
for four-minute speed dates. While the researchers didn’t specify
whether the algorithm was based on a particular dating app, it sounds
pretty similar to the one used by OKCupid, which uses a complex set of
data to determine your compatibility with another user. (Here are the
biggest mistakes you're making on Tinder, by the way.)
Using the statistical model, the researchers were able to predict fairly
well the degree to which someone desired another person, and they were
also able to somewhat accurately predict the degree to which someone
else liked them. However, after researchers talked to both parties after
the date ended, their responses were completely unpredictable,
especially when it came to determining whether they were interested in
pursuing a relationship with each other.
Dating apps and websites often boast about the efficacy of these secret
sauce algorithms. But when you actually compare an algorithm’s
predictions and speed daters' actual assessments of each other, it's
clear that all the swiping in the world isn't all that effective. So
basically, if you really want to use dating apps, don’t put too much
stock in personalized questionnaires that promise to find your Mrs. or
Mr. Right.
