Dating sites remake the introductions

The Boston Globe:

In the middle of the day, your phone rings. It’s an unfamiliar number. New York area code.

“Hello,” a robotic voice says, “It’s Mr. Brooks from Tawkify. Don’t turn around. Act natural.”

The voice instructs you to wear a dress tomorrow night for your date: a poetry slam at the Cantab Lounge. Make sure to carry a favorite poetry book. Your suitor will be wearing a baseball hat and carrying a notepad. “Don’t be late or I can’t answer for the consequences,” the voice says.

…

Making online meet-ups as relaxed as possible could be the way to keep young people on the Web dating scene, said a Northwestern University psychology professor, Eli Finkel, who studies romantic relationships.

Paring down the number of potential matches may help, too. Many of the new niche sites narrow down the choices, instead of showing users a supermarket’s worth of options and telling them to pick one, said Tawkify’s Carroll, whose company employs human matchmakers to pair people up.

Read the whole story: The Boston Globe

See Eli J. Finkel at the 25th APS Annual Convention.