eHarmony Is Conducting Research Into Using Humour As A Matching Tool

eHarmony is currently researching how humour could be better used to help match singles together.

The dating brand is known for its survey-based matching system, which asks singles to complete a number of personal questions in order to improve matches’ compatibility.

And according to CEO Grant Langston, the company is now looking at ways of further integrating sense of humour into matching systems, something he thinks would be “groundbreaking”.

In an interview with CNBC, Langston said: “Everybody says sense of humor is the number two or three thing they want in a partner and yet no one knows what that means — no one’s ever matched on it.

“That is something that would be, in my view, groundbreaking and very cool. If we could determine who is a good attraction candidate for you based on sense of humour.”

With many singles rating humour as an important trait in a good match, the dating site is researching the topic – asking singles to rate a series of 30 half minute videos and images based on how amusing they find them.

It can then use their responses to categorise singles by their type of humour, whether physical, surreal, improvisational, self-deprecating, wit-word play, observational finding, bodily, topical or dark.

Langston explains: “Since we know everyone’s humour type, we are able to see if people who have similar senses of humour are more likely to be attracted to each other and if so, how much similarity is necessary.”

This study follows the start of eHarmony’s speed dating events in February, which also found that humour played a large role in how well singles get on.

Find out more here.