Online Dating

Gay men and women are now allowed to search and meet through dating site Christian Mingle, one of the largest niche dating sites in the industry. The site opened its platform to gay users after settling a lawsuit that claimed that it violated California’s non-discrimination law on the basis of sexual orientation.

According to the conditions of the settlement, Spark Networks who own Christian Mingle among other dating sites, will change their homepages to allow users to specify if they are a man or a woman, and also if they are looking for men or women. While Spark also agreed to create a more comprehensive and tailored matching service for users seeking same sex relationships within the next two years, the dating site Christian Mingle as it exists for gay singles can be frustrating.

Has anything been more inevitable than this? Following the explosive success of Pokémon GO, an intrepid entrepreneur has taken the next logical step: launching a Pokémon GO dating service.

Your partner in love and pocket monster fandom may be waiting on PokéDates, a brand new site that hopes to capitalize on the popularity of the world’s current mobile obsession. “Gotta catch 'em all, together” is the slogan and the mission is simple: match singles based on their questionnaire preferences and a mutual desire to play Pokémon GO. The folks from Project Fixup, a popular offline dating startup that launched in Chicago in 2012, are the brains behind it all.

Picture two online dating profiles. In one, your prospective date is hunched over with contracted shoulders and crossed arms. In the other, their spine is straight and they’re holding their arms up in a “V” shape.

Assuming you’re basing your choice only on the picture (because, well, like it or not, that’s often how it works), which date are you more likely to pick? Science can predict not only your answer, but why you're inclined to choose it.

Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist, author, and professor at Harvard Business School, explored the subject of body language in online dating in a 2016 talk in New York City. She says she was drawn to her husband, who she saw for the first time on Facebook, because he was in what she has deemed a “power pose” - an expansive posture that can make you feel more powerful and confident.

It's the end of an era. Los Angeles-based dating site eHarmony has announced that Neil Clark Warren - co-founder and star of the company's television ads – will retire as chief executive officer. He will remain as chairman, and longtime Vice President Grant Langston will take over as CEO.

Langston joined eHarmony in 2000 in preparation for the launch of the original site. Prior to that, he spent ten years in advertising and music marketing. In his role with eHarmony, Langston focused on the company's marketing efforts, customer care, content creation, social media, and product launches.

eHarmony board Director Jamie McJunkin said Langston “is a natural choice to succeed Dr. Warren as CEO as he has been at his side since the inception of the company. His level of experience in the field of online dating is unparalleled and we are pleased to elevate him to this position.”

While Tinder is expanding its market share in the dating industry, Whitney Wolfe, one of Tinder’s ex co-Founders and now CEO of dating app Bumble, wants to take her app in a new direction outside of dating: business networking.

Bumble began as a dating app where women make the first move. Guys aren’t allowed to message or see a woman’s profile unless she allows it first, putting her in control of the interaction. Her app has gotten some buzz (excuse the pun), and has in the past year expanded its search and connection capabilities for friendships as well as romantic hook-ups with its feature BumbleBFF.

And according to recent articles in Gizmodo and The Verge, it seems the app wants to help you in another aspect of your life: your career.

Think that politics and dating don’t mix? In this unprecedented election year where political beliefs and emotions are running high, it turns out that more people than ever aren’t willing to date across party lines.

OkCupid just released a new survey that finds 50% of their users would NOT date someone with opposing political views – an all-time high according to their records.

When they dug a little deeper however, they found that the words people choose in their profiles do indicate political and personal leanings in terms of conservative and liberal mindsets, which might explain this trend.