Do online dating sites really work

The search for love in the digital age tends to stir up a lot of anxiety. As evidenced by the countless dystopian portrayals of technologically mediated love that come across our screens as well as real-world conversations with friends and colleagues, we're collectively wary of online dating and its implications for the future of romance and human connection. Meanwhile, IRL origin stories are seen as sacred. Why are we so hesitant to believe that online dating can work? Maybe it's the stigma. According to the Pew Research Center , about a quarter of Americans agree with the statement "People who use online dating sites are desperate.

I remember the day after, when my flatmate asked me how it went. I beamed at her over my cup of tea. I met that man about 10 years ago. Millions of other people. Our lonely little hearts are very big business. Online dating may appear to be the swiftest route to love, or something like it. But until you win the grand prize — never having to do it again — it always feels a last resort, the sign that you possess a fatal flaw that has prevented the achievement of true love through one of the more classic routes: pulling a stranger in a bar, meeting someone at a house party, sleeping with your employer.

Sharing personal information brings people closer together. Verified by Psychology Today. The Mating Game. However, these pools can be relatively shallow.

After a rough breakup last January, I was sad and single in the Big Apple. With some goading from a friend — who somehow convinced me that the stigma against online dating was no more — I joined OkCupid and started scanning the thousands of matches that popped up on my screen. With the number of visitors these sites get each month, that increase is pretty significant: Some current estimates report between In many ways, online dating resembles offline dating — the resulting relationships are no different. So why do so many millions turn to the Web to find love?