There’s a new book hitting shelves on January 4, 2011, and it’s one that singles might want to check out. “The Science of Single: One Woman’s Grand Experiment in Dating, Creating Chemistry and Finding Love” by Rachel Machacek chronicles one woman’s dating experience in Washington.

Rachel Machacek was a writer for the Washington Post who signed a deal to write a book that covered the details of her one year experiment in throwing herself head first into Washington’s dating scene using every dating resource available to her.

Along the way, Machacek encountered many of the issues with which you’re probably familiar, like the guys who were absolutely nothing like their online profile. But, she likely learned just as much about herself as she did the guys she was dating.

For example, Machacek learned that she was putting a lot of importance on each and every first date, always thinking, “Maybe he’s the one”. Over time, she says, she’s learned to shift her expectations, which means that she’s a lot less disappointed when things don’t go as she hopes.

Machacek also learned the importance of just “getting out there”, saying that sometimes we don’t find love simply because it’s safer and easier to just stay home.

Machacek learned a lot of lessons that many of us need to learn. Check out her interview here in the Columbus Dispatch. And, if you’re so inclined, check out her book, which will be available in stores January 4.

Books Chemistry, Science, Singles

We all have seen the commercials and heard the hype about how some dating sites use “scientific” methods to match people based on personal characteristics, compatibility, and the like. But does this really work? Is there any evidence to show that there truly is a science to matchmaking? The answer is, it depends.

Let’s start with what it means to take a scientific approach to matching singles with each other. For paid online dating sites like eHarmony.com and Match.com, this means taking known research about the things that tend to cause marriages to fail (smoking, age differences, lack of common interests, etc.) and using this information to match people together. The theory is if they can minimize the problem areas that often lead to divorce in the first place, they can match singles more successfully and get better results.

The problem has been in actually verifying this as a successful matchmaking method. EHarmony.com and Match.com recently published their “success rates”, but these are put out there in terms such as the number of emails exchanged per year, the number of “winks” sent out each year, and the number of dates their users go on each year. This is interesting information (mostly for advertisers) but doesn’t necessarily help determine if their matching methods succeed where it really counts – helping you find someone special to share your life.

Do I think dating sites that use this approach are necessarily bad? No, of course not. There are plenty of singles who have found partners using this kind of approach. All I’m saying is it’s a good idea to have an objective view of what they’re offering and promising if you’re going to choose to use their services.

Relationships eHarmony, Match.com, Matchmaking, Science, Success