EHarmony.com Patents Matchmaking Formula

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ Chemistry? Forget it. Psychology and statistics best determine whether two people will have a happy marriage. At least so claims an online dating service that's patented its

Tuesday, June 1st 2004, 4:59 pm

By: News On 6

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ Chemistry? Forget it. Psychology and statistics best determine whether two people will have a happy marriage. At least so claims an online dating service that's patented its matchmaking formula.

EHarmony.com Inc. this month received U.S. Patent No. 6,735,568, which describes a ``method and system for identifying people who are likely to have a successful relationship.''

Not surprisingly, critics and competitors trash eHarmony's process, which saturates mate-seekers with more than 430 questions, as overly scientific. And some call the so-called ``love patent'' little more than a gimmick.

But the patent has also sparked a debate more prickly than whether annual incomes should be included in online dating profiles: Can the elusive art of matchmaking be reduced to equations and databases?

Researchers at Pasadena-based eHarmony, founded by clinical psychologist Dr. Neil Clark Warren, maintain that an individual's psychological profile is a better barometer of marital success than purely demographic data.

Sites such as TrueBeginnings.com allow users to screen partners through increasingly complex questionnaires, standing apart from the many online dating services that match people according to simple data such as age, religion and education level.

EHarmony users, seeking a ``long-term relationship that leads to marriage,'' are asked questions ranging from ``Do you smoke?'' to ``How much does the word 'dominant' describe you on a list of one through seven?'' and ``How often do you feel depressed?''

Researchers then seek compatible pairs using a ``marital satisfaction index'' based on rankings in 29 categories including ``sexual passion'' and ``spirituality.'' The company says it only pairs people when it is 95 percent confident that their compatibility rating falls in the index's top 25 percent.

Critics say such computerized matchmaking discounts the je ne sais quoi of love in favor of formulas that can seem like basic arithmetic compared to the painstaking psychosexual calculations humans make about mates.

``In the long run, I can certainly see the merit in a questionnaire that helps you make choices about who you date,'' said Robin Gorman Newman, a Great Neck, N.Y.-based dating coach and author of ``How to Meet a Mensch in New York.'' ``But it still comes down to attraction as the first step. It sometimes just takes simple chemistry to know when you've found Mr. or Ms. Right.''

Rivals say eHarmony forces Warren's vision on what constitutes a successful pairing onto people who may have different goals for long-term relationships.

``EHarmony makes claims that their system is the most scientific approach,'' said Tim Sullivan, president of Richardson, Texas-based Match.com Inc., the largest online dating service, with 12 million profiles and 1 million subscribers who pay $25 per month. ``But we find these claims to be ... ridiculous at best.''

Some dismiss the love patent as a marketing ploy. E-commerce companies went on a patent binge starting in the late '90s, with claims on how to bid for airline tickets (Priceline.com), how to rent DVDs online (Netflix.com), and how to buy a book with a single mouse click (Amazon.com).

Geared toward more ``traditional'' couples, eHarmony began advertising on Christian radio stations in 2000 and didn't accept photos until the following year.

Other online matchmaking services aim to satisfy a much wider range of motivations for pairings. Not everyone is looking for lasting love. Niche sites abound, spanning a spectrum from die-hard bachelors to Jewish singles, to people who've already written prenuptial contracts.

Melinda Miller vouches for eHarmony. The 32-year-old middle school teacher in Celebration, Fla., completed her personality profile on May 7, 2003. Jack Stevison, an investment officer for a securities firm in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., submitted his the next day. They met in person the following week and were engaged within four months. They're getting hitched Jan. 1.

``The chemistry between us was amazing right from the start _ and I know that sounds funny because how can you have chemistry over the Internet?'' Miller said. ``But we had complete compatibility between our personalities.''

EHarmony, which costs $50 per month or $250 per year, doesn't guarantee a diamond ring _ or even a first date. And it rejects one in five people who complete the free questionnaire and, according to the index, aren't the marrying type.

``We try to be nice,'' said Dr. Galen Buckwalter, the company's vice president of research. ``We tell them our services probably won't be useful.''