Online Dating Works?

More than one third of all marriages in the United States began online, a new study reveals. Not only that, couples who meet online are more satisfied in their relationship – and more likely to stay together, although these margins are very thin and may not be practically significant.

Thirty-five percent of Americans met their future spouse on the internet – roughly half of them using an online dating service.

These findings – based on interviews of more than 19,000 couples over an eight-year period – were published in this week’s editions of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, although some critics questioned the results given that the survey was paid for by online dating site eHarmony.com. They also questioned whether the “statistical significance” of the enhanced online satisfaction data really amounted to much in a real world sense.

After the internet, work was the most likely place to find your future spouse (22 percent), followed by friends (19 percent), bars and clubs (9 percent) and church (4 percent).

Wow … poor church.

Researchers took issue with their critics, saying their work adhered to strict standards and independent oversight. Of course they had no problem jumping to the conclusion eHarmony.com and other online dating sites were no doubt looking for …

“The Internet may be altering the dynamics and outcomes of marriage itself,” one of the authors of the study noted.

Our take? There’s no doubt more people are finding love using whatever means are available to them, and it makes sense to assume the extensive compatibility checks these dating services offer could lead to more “compatible” marriages. But the numbers don’t show any seismic differences … which means relationships that begin online remain every bit as much of a crapshoot as those that begin offline.

***