Is Matchmaking a Science?

 

 

Credit: Jane Spencer-Rolfe

 

Web site Nomorefrogs uses psychometric tests to match potential partners.

The assessment at Nomorefrogs is made up of 28 questions and looks at personality compatibility in key areas. “Two assertive people, for example, are not ideal in a relationship since you need a balance, but someone who is happy to express their feelings would need to find someone similar,” says Rolfe. The algorithm that analyses the test is also weighted, meaning that it gives more importance to traits that a person feels must be present in their partner.

It’s all very well to be scientific but is finding a partner really a science? Even though psychologists can study successful marriages and analyse the factors that make them work, romance takes chemistry. The reason that people often fall in love with people that are not right for them can be because biological factors can overpower the mental checklist of what you want in a mate.

Many biologists now agree that human pheromones – chemicals released by the body which give off a specific scent and which is unique for each person – play a big role in attraction. If the scent of a specific person is pleasant and sexy to us, it’s usually because their genetically-determined immune system is most different from our own. Even if you’re not planning on having children, the human body naturally selects a partner that will help you produce the most healthy offspring and propagate humankind.