The Psychology Behind Online Dating: How People Find Potential Partners online

In this era where being able to connect with others at all times through technology, it is no wonder that some people would eventually want to take the chance to find romantic partners through the internet. Originally created in the 1960s, online dating has recently become a successful source for potential partners with websites like match.com that manage to have millions of subscribers paying for their services. Online dating allows people to meet more people and more potential partners than people in the past could hope to meet in a lifetime.

There are two successful techniques behind finding potential partners, allowing people to choose their own partners or allow the websites to choose for them. 

When online dating first began in the 1960s and 70s users were not given the opportunity to choose their own spouses but were instead asked to fill out a questionnaire. Based on that questionnaire the database would try and find potential matches based off of likes, dislikes and overall compatibility. In the 90s websites adopted the idea of allowing it's users to try and choose their own partners based off of their own standards. This form of online dating has become more of a prominent feature on the majority of online dating sites. Websites like Match.com, which manages to be one of the most popular websites uses this new form of allowing subscribers to browse the database and find their own partners, while websites like eHarmoney.com decides to stick with the original idea of matching subscribers based on their compatibility.

When it comes to dating women and men look for very different qualities in their partners, but it is safe to say that both sexes often look for attractive physical features. In an interview with University of Maryland Dr. Ryan Curtis he states that often whether it is online or in real life, people try to find the most attractive partner that they can.

This means that when given the option people often prefer to select their own partners based off of shallow reason. This does not change when it comes to online dating, but instead it gives users a greater selection to choose from. This is what makes websites like Match.com so successful. When it comes to long term relationships compatibility is more important. This is what makes websites like eHarmoney.com more successful. Because both forms of choosing a mate online are successful it makes it difficult to determine which one is actually better. As Dr. Curtis said, it all depends on what the person is actually looking for when they go online.

Online dating does have some positive qualities. 

When people choose to try and find potential partners online it opens up new opportunities for love. Some people are very shy and find it difficult to try and meet people in highly social situations. Online dating can create a less stressful environment for shy people to open up and connect with other people and potentially form romantic relationships. Online dating also allows people more chances to meet people. Users are not restricted to only the people that are geographically close to them, but they are given the opportunity to try and meet people from all over the world.

Online dating offers its own risks and threats that scare away some people. 
Dating comes with it's own risks and threats such as heartbreak and your potential partner lying to you. Often when people try find potential partners online they tend to believe the information that is present online without thinking that the person that they are talking to could be lying to them. When people go on dates in the real world some of the lies that their partner could be lying about could be their job, salary or family, but dating online allows people the opportunity to lie about so much more. Any person can go on google and find any pictures of other people and use them to create a new identity. A person who does this is known as a Catfish. Recently the idea of seemingly romantic relationships resulting into Catfish lies has become a part of our media through television shows like Catfish and Datelines: To Catch a Predator to warn people of the dangers of trying to find love online. In one of my person on the street's interviews, Doris admits that meeting face to face after initially meeting online could potentially be creepy because you don't really know who you are talking to on the other end of the computer.

Online dating comes with positive and negative qualities, just remember to be careful. 

When it comes to online dating, just like regular dating, it comes with its own set of risks and rewards. People do manage to find longterm partners through online websites while others sometimes get Catfished. It is important to remember to stay smart and stay safe. Going through websites like Match.com and eHarmoney.com offer less chances of encountering a Catfish while also offering different approaches to finding potential partners. It is important to know what you are actually looking for and to try and stay safe when trying to find a partner online or in the real world.