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Too many dating choices can leave singles lonely
AP ^ | Mar 2, 2011

Posted on 03/03/2011 9:22:22 AM PST by posterchild

LONDON (AP) -- In the dating world, having too many options may leave you in the lonely hearts club.

British researchers analyzed speed dating to see if singles offered a wide variety of potential dates had a higher chance of meeting a partner. They didn't.

Researchers found that the more choices people had in potential dates, the more likely they were to end up on their own, according to the study published Wednesday in the British journal Biology Letters.

Experts analyzed the romantic decisions made by nearly 4,000 men and women at 84 speed dating events in the U.K., where single people had three minutes to talk to dozens of potential suitors.

They found people faced with a wide variety of partners - with different interests, jobs and physical traits - were more likely to choose no one at all.

People were also more likely to find a date if their prospective partners were more alike.

(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: courtship; dating; relationships; singles
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1 posted on 03/03/2011 9:22:26 AM PST by posterchild
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To: posterchild

Perhaps those who elect to do “speed dating” are in fact to busy for a relationship in the first place.


2 posted on 03/03/2011 9:32:52 AM PST by dartuser ("Dealing with preterists is like cleaning the litter box ... at least none of the cats are big.)
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To: posterchild
People were also more likely to find a date if their prospective partners were more alike.

Nah, really???

3 posted on 03/03/2011 9:35:14 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: dartuser

They probably figure the option will always be there in the future, so there’s no urgency to date just for the sake of it.


4 posted on 03/03/2011 9:36:01 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: dartuser

It should more properly be called ‘speed introductions’ rather than ‘speed dating.’

I tried it when I was single. When it was ‘7 minute dating’ it was ok. When it was turned into ‘8 minute dating’ it was just too much commitment.


5 posted on 03/03/2011 9:36:24 AM PST by posterchild
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To: posterchild

Whatever happened to going out with a guy because he is cute and has a porche? Everything has to be so complicated nowadays. LOL!!!


6 posted on 03/03/2011 9:36:42 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: posterchild

Too right. Chicks get clingy and possessive after seven minutes.


7 posted on 03/03/2011 9:37:39 AM PST by agere_contra (Whenever a Liberal admits to something: he is covering up something far worse)
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To: posterchild

By offering an endless array of choices, they are essentially inviting people to not take each potential date seriously, leading to an often-futile search for greater “perfection”.


8 posted on 03/03/2011 9:40:54 AM PST by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: posterchild

But, in the 14th century, where there was only one available of the right age and sex in your village, you just got married and that was that.


9 posted on 03/03/2011 9:44:44 AM PST by proxy_user
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To: posterchild
When it was ‘7 minute dating’ it was ok. When it was turned into ‘8 minute dating’ it was just too much commitment.

"I don't care who you are ... that's funny!"

10 posted on 03/03/2011 9:46:04 AM PST by dartuser ("Dealing with preterists is like cleaning the litter box ... at least none of the cats are big.)
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To: andy58-in-nh

I believe that is a very large part of the problem. I recall a Comp Sci. professor from many years ago saying about finding a solution to a particular problem: ‘as with marriage - don’t look for an optimal solution but find a reasonable approximation and go with it.’


11 posted on 03/03/2011 9:47:30 AM PST by posterchild
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To: posterchild

Um, when I was in Japan I sent out a personal ad to a gaijin magazine and was inundated with phone calls.

I had about 30 dates over 3 months:
9 Japanese
4~5 Brits
4~5 Aussies
10 Other (Brazilians, Russians, etc.)

On the 28th date I met my wife. Within a week I called the girls I was still fooling around with and said I was no longer interested. My wife and married a week later.

Fooling around is fun, but identifying and marrying the right person is DESTINY.


12 posted on 03/03/2011 9:47:49 AM PST by struggle ((The struggle continues))
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To: struggle

>>My wife and married a week later.

SORRY, A YEAR LATER. I wasn’t that desperate.


13 posted on 03/03/2011 9:50:50 AM PST by struggle ((The struggle continues))
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To: posterchild
I tried it when I was single. When it was ‘7 minute dating’ it was ok. When it was turned into ‘8 minute dating’ it was just too much commitment.

Hitchhiker: 7's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 dwarves. 7, man, that's the number. 7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office.
Ted: Why?
Hitchhiker: 'Cause you're .... fired!

14 posted on 03/03/2011 9:51:40 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: posterchild

That’s pretty good advice, in both spheres of experience. Perfection is not a human attribute, and much misery results from its pursuit.


15 posted on 03/03/2011 9:53:40 AM PST by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: posterchild

“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” - Voltaire


16 posted on 03/03/2011 9:53:40 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: struggle

Was she one of the Japanese, Brit, or Aussies?


17 posted on 03/03/2011 9:58:04 AM PST by PapaBear3625 ("It is only when we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything" -- Fight Club)
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To: PapaBear3625

She is Japanese.

She called my cellphone and hung up before I picked up. I called her back and forced her to tell me who she was. What a life.


18 posted on 03/03/2011 10:00:38 AM PST by struggle ((The struggle continues))
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To: dfwgator
I learned a great deal about human nature from reading Candide. This is not the best of all possible worlds, and so we must be happy to cultivate our own gardens. ;-)
19 posted on 03/03/2011 10:01:45 AM PST by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: posterchild

True. The person you might fall in love with if you worked next to him or her will be eliminated if he is one inch shorter than the height range you specify as acceptable in an online dating site, or if she is one year older, or has some other minor issue. It’s too easy to click through thousands of profiles and discard one because the photo isn’t flattering or the ad mentions some sport you don’t like.


20 posted on 03/03/2011 10:12:18 AM PST by ottbmare (off-the-track Thoroughbred mare)
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