"Dilemma" of Romantic Partnerships (03:40)

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eHarmony Chief Scientist Steve Carter cites high divorce rates and celebrity culture as evidence that long-term relationships are challenging. Relationship onset goals and ongoing relationship "needs" are inverted.

Poor Choice of Mates (03:58)

Humans are good at solving problems using proximal information, but poor at problems involving obscure or distal information. They tend to solve the wrong problem or use the wrong information when entering relationships.

Relationship Compatibility Factors (02:44)

Similar or conflicting career and family goals, how personalities and characteristics mesh, and communication when angry are important in predicting success. Carter shows examples of measures that people have taken to increase potential matches on dating apps.

Marital Compatibility Models (04:35)

Psychologists have examined personality factors predicting individual happiness in a relationship. Carter explains the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model used for marriages. To model attraction, eHarmony views mutual communication between two users as a "successful" match.

eHarmony User Communication Predictors (02:31)

Distance, physical height, self-rated attractiveness, profile picture photo aspect ratio, and profile picture photo zoom level determine the likelihood that users will initiate conversations.

eHarmony Algorithm (02:00)

Carter explains how the company uses compatibility and affinity systems in a linear program to narrow down possible matching profiles.

eHarmony Successes (02:08)

The matchmaking website has low divorce or separation rates. Compare Google Cloud recognition scoring on two users—a feature for optimizing communication.

Addressing the Long Term Relationship Funnel (04:04)

Approximately one in eight eHarmony users achieves a long-term relationship. Having optimized affinity and communication, the company is developing a humor compatibility profile to improve first dates. Carter shows examples of assessment jokes.

Credits: Blind Data: The Secrets Behind Compatibility Science (00:22)

Credits: Blind Data: The Secrets Behind Compatibility Science