When It Comes to Romance, It May Be Best to Call It In

It might seem old fashioned, but nothing beats a face-to-face interaction for creating the spark that may lead to lasting love. This according to Eli Finkel, associate professor of psychology at Northwestern University and lead author of a new study on the effectiveness of online and mobile dating to be published in Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Traditional dating sites like Match.com provide scant information about an overwhelming number of potential mates, while sites that boast the benefit of high-tech matching capabilities may not deliver on what they promise, finds Finkel. Alternatively, looking for love with new GPS-enabled smartphone applications is a much more immediate process, notes Finkel, increasing the chances of an in-person connection. Read more about the research of romance in Psychiatric News and a book by American Psychiatric Publishing, Dreams of Love and Fateful Encounters: The Power of Romantic Passion.

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