How can and can't dating sites help?

Dating sites rely on extensive index cards and the method of psychological matches, claiming that this will allow us to get to know the person we're closest to. On them you can get single women dating, so you can find a partner for the rest of your life. And while popular sites attract millions of users, studies show they can't deliver on all their promises. So what can they really offer us?

1. Meeting

On the one hand, getting to know the profiles of hundreds of candidates is an obvious advantage. On the other hand, we are not able to evaluate a virtual profile as carefully and reliably as a person we meet in real life. And we risk passing by the people we are close to, getting stuck in correspondence and subsequent meetings with those who will disappoint us.

2. Communicating

Many get involved in online communication, and the actual meeting drags on for weeks and sometimes months. When we eventually do meet and our expectations are not met (which happens in the vast majority of cases), it is more painful than being disappointed in the person we met in reality. Often our unjustified expectations are due to the tendency of people to distort information about themselves: age, job, education and marital status. If in real life we meet a person who is not completely honest with us, we get a chance to read a lot on non-verbal signals and on the basis of emotions and intuition to make a more complete picture.

3. Matches

Dating sites promise sophisticated, complex algorithms that pre-select the most suitable partners for us. This point Dr. Finkel calls the weakest link of online resources. No site with the most advanced psychological tests can promise you that two perfect matches will fall in love.

If you're going on a date

Determine the appropriate sites.

Start with online resources that are frequented by people with similar interests to yours such as movie clubs or sports clubs. This will also help you feel more confident if you're taking your first steps in the virtual dating arena. Big sites promise to meet lots of people, but they represent people from all walks of life, often with interests that are far removed from your own.

Meet in Person

Try to meet with your interest as soon as possible or at least offer video chat (although video chat is no substitute for real communication). Otherwise, you'll be held hostage to an imaginary image that can be painfully shattered when you meet.

Be realistic

Give every candidate you're interested in an equal chance. People who believe – that somewhere waiting for them is perfect, intended for them half, and should only continue to stubbornly look for it, risk missing a truly intimate person.