The one thing about ‘matching’ algorithms that dating sites don’t want you to know

The Washington Post:

Tinder released an updated version of its matching algorithm today, a “big change” that CEO Sean Rad has been hyping for the past week. In a blog post, Tinder offered few details on the new algorithm — but basically promised that it would revolutionize the quantity and quality of matches each user receives.

“Just open Tinder to check it out,” they encourage. “We’re sure these updates will make swiping even better and will lead to more meaningful matches.”

…

The strongest evidence for this comes from a 2012 paper published by Northwestern University’s Eli Finkel and four co-authors in the journal “Psychological Science in the Public Interest,” which not only eviscerated the very concept of matching algorithms, but called on the Federal Trade Commission to regulate claims about their effectiveness.

To understand why these authors found these claims so troubling, you first have to understand some basic things about how relationships work. Leave aside, for a minute, your Disneyland notions of soulmates or true love: In reality, most people could happily pair off with a large number of potential partners, and the factors that determine whom they do pair with have as much to do with circumstance as anything else.

Read the whole story: The Washington Post