Useful Review of eHarmony

Because of its convenience, anonymity, and instant results, online dating has become the norm.  Couples who might have never met otherwise are finding soul mates in unexpected ways.  Leading the pack of internet daters is eHarmony: a fun website which means serious business.

Where other dating websites are built on a premise of profit (for example, Gary Kremen—founder of Match.com—was looking to start an advertising company; Markus Frink—founder of PlentyOfFish.com—found that he could make serious bucks using Adsense), eHarmony is based on one of science.  Rick Clark Warren, the founder, is a psychologist who spent over 35 years, studying relationships and marriages.  He discovered that certain traits and shared characteristics could predict compatibility between a couple, ensuring a happier and longer lasting marriage.  He set out to create a website that would not only bring people together, but would make sure they were well-matched before they ever saw the first date.

So what can a new user expect?  Upon your first visit to eHarmony, you will take an extensive compatibility test.  This will analyze who you are: personality, values, intellect, emotional stability, interaction style, and more.  The idea behind this test is not to match interests with potential mate, but to match who you are.  Warren found that the most successful relationships were those in which the couple shared commonalities in the most essential aspects of their beings (known on eHarmony as the “29 dimensions of personality”).

After the compatibility test has been examined, you will receive your analysis.  You will then begin receiving matches, which you must review individually before you can receive the next set.  Paired with the extensive starting process, this serves as a way to sift through those who are serious about a potential relationship and those who are just joining for “kicks”.

So you’ve received a match who seems promising to you.  What next?  You are then coached along by eHarmony.  Their guided communication system breaks down the process; one way of doing this is by providing questions which you can ask your match.  Additionally, the website has a library of tips and advice for dating and relationships.

One benefit, which may seem like a drawback initially, is eHarmony’s lack of a search engine.  Unlike other sites, you cannot look for your mate—you can only wait for them to be hand-delivered.  Yet, this process makes sense: users are not able to judge potential mates solely by appearances.  This takes away the superficiality that so often rules the dating world.

But does this work?  Can people really meet their soul mates by filling out a questionnaire and relying on a combination of fate and science?  Apparently so.  A recent study performed by Dr. Steve Carter, eHarmony’s research director, concluded that “90% of eHarmony couples had marriage quality scores which were above average when compared to couples who had begun their relationships elsewhere.”

So it would seem that, not only can science and fate co-exist, they can actually prove beneficial to one another. Click here for Registration.