By Isabel Eva Bohrer on February 13, 2012 in
Online dating is more popular than ever before. According to the City Sex blog, 8.8 million people in the United States have tried online dating, and over 20 million people visit at least one online dating service a month. It's also effective: in the last year, 17 percent of American couples who married met on a dating site, the citysex.com study reveals. (See their infographic below.)
Citysex.com isn't the only portal that has taken interest in studying online dating trends. A study led by Catalina L. Toma, an assistant professor in the department of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, revealed that people don't always tell the truth; the data shows that 81 percent of users lie about their height, weight or age. On the other hand, the lies tend to be relatively small, seeing as eventually, the daters want to meet in real life.
In fact, the real-life meetings revealed a surprising fact to the researchers; that you can almost always guess who is coming to dinner. Gerald A. Mendelsohn, a professor in the psychology department at the University of California, Berkeley, conducted research on a popular dating site, and found that "more than 80 percent of the contacts initiated by white members were to other white members, and only 3 percent to black members," as the New York Times reports. "White more than black, women more than men, and old more than young prefer a same-race partner," Mendelsohn's research demonstrated.
Match.com, one of the most popular online dating sites, goes even further and argues that you can predict a person's dating behavior by the kind of smartphone he or she uses. According to a recent survey, iPhone users wait just one day to reach out after a first date, whereas Android or BlackBerry owners are prone to wait until 2 or 3 days. However, BlackBerry users tend to drunk dial. Sixty-two percent of interviewed Android users are likely to sleep with the other person on the first date, while only 57 percent of iPhone users and 48 percent of BlackBerry users would do the same. In terms of online dating in general, Android users, too, are the leading crew: 72 percent of them have visited an online site, followed by 58 percent of iPhone users and 50 percent of BlackBerry owners.
No matter which phone you have, you, too, can get started with online dating. To help you out, Consumer Search has a detailed online dating report that takes into account both expert and user reviews of over two dozen dating sites, including niche sites based on interests, religion, age groups and more. And if you're on the go, check out the following apps to find love even faster. (See also: flirting apps.)
Dating DNA (iPhone; Free for basic version, $4.99 for plus version)
Dating DNA prides itself on monitoring its community members to keep out frauds. The company offers two apps for the iPhone, a free version and a plus version. Both versions include the "Compatibility Score," which shows you how well you match with another person. You can also navigate directly from a person's Dating DNA profile page to their Facebook, MySpace or other social networking profile. If you want priority treatment in Match results, upgrade to the plus version. Here, you'll also get an "Ice Breaker" advice section, replete with questions you can ask during those initial crucial moments on the first date.
MiuMeet (iPhone, Android; Free)
MiuMeet lets you use GPS to search matches by location. In addition, you can filter contacts by age, interests and other details in their profile. Once you've connected with someone, you can send him or her text messages, pictures and smileys. If you believe in zodiac signs, you'll be glad to know that the app also comes with a Daily Horoscope.
SinglesAroundMe (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry; Free)
No matter where you are, SinglesAroundMe can help you find a date. Its location-based search spans the globe and tracks down possible partners on a Google map. You can even see the profiles and photos of potential dates at a specific bar before you even arrive. If you like what you see, you can add them to your hot list and send winks and messages. The block lists and privacy controls, in turn, can be used to keep you safe and sound; you can turn your own GPS location on or off at any time.
Via: CitySex.com