As ubiquitous as the phrase “Netflix and chill” now is, it's not surprising that the streaming site could impact your love life. According to a new study released by Netflix itself, the shows and movies you watch online do affect your search for a soulmate.

The study, which examined a sample of 1,008 Americans 18-39 years old, found that around one third of respondents (27%) said show compatibility was important. Yes, in 2016, 'show compatibility' is a real thing. Netflix even coined the term 'show goggles' – the psychological phenomenon resulting in a drastic change in perceived attractiveness based on taste in TV shows.

A quarter of respondents admitted to having show goggles, with 13% saying they would ask someone out solely based on if they liked similar shows. Men seemed to be more susceptible than women – 34% said they are likely to get smitten based on shared tastes in shows and movies.

As we date, Netflix helps us get closer. Fifty-eight percent of study participants said they bond over Netflix. Instead of asking questions over coffee, discussing movie and televeision preferences helps us get to know each other better. Sixty-five percent said they engage in negotiations while choosing what to watch, while 35% said they trade show for show.

The couple that streams together, stays together. Netflix continues to play a role as things get more serious. Sharing a Netflix account is now a modern milestone along the lines of going Facebook official. “More than half of respondents said sharing a Netflix account felt like a 'serious' step forward in the relationship,” reports Forbes, “and 17% said they would wait until getting engaged or married to share an account.”

And no, it doesn't end there. Once a relationship is established, Netflix plays an integral role in maintaining the closeness of that bond. Seventy-two percent of respondents who were married or in a relationship said that staying in and watching Netflix was a favourite way to spend date night.

What the study doesn't address is what happens if things don't work out. While some couples live happily ever after with their Netflix queues, binge-watching into the sunset together, others aren't so lucky. In the event of a break-up, who gets the joint Netflix account? Add that to the list of things that have to be divvied up, along with the social circle and the cat.

If you need to come up with the perfect date and a cupid-worthy gift. If this study is right, the pressure's off. All you need is a comfy couch and a Netflix subscription.

The eHarmony free trial starts Thursday February 25th and continues to Monday February 29th, 2016. This 4 day event is available in both the United States and Canada, on the website and dating apps. This is the second free trial eHarmony has run this month.

Existing eHarmony members get access to the free trial automatically. If you don't have a membership all you need to do create one. No credit card is required for this, just the completion of the eHarmony profile questionnaire. The whole process takes about 30 minutes to complete depending on how long you spend answering each question. Most questions are multiple choice and it is important you answer them as truthfully as possible since each one affects the outcome of who the eHarmony matchmaking algorithm chooses to match with you.

Once you have completed the profile your will receive your first set of matches. You can now review those matches and start communicating with the ones you wish, starting with the guided communication process and then continuing on with email. You will continue to have new matches sent to you every day or so. One thing to note about the free trial is that it does not include photos, secure call, or the skip straight to email feature for the guided communication process.

To find out more about eHarmony and how it works, our eHarmony review is a good place to look.

Another new dating app has hit the market to compete with Tinder, the ever-popular app that is both cherished and demonized for changing the landscape of dating. Precisely takes the user-friendly format of Tinder (swiping), and combines it with a clickable menu of over 200 filters across 25 different categories, so you can select descriptions according to your preferences.

Dating sites like OkCupid and Match are two successful yet traditional online dating platforms, and their matching algorithms also use descriptions. However, these sites rely on users answering questions and writing detailed profiles, which can take a lot of time. Precisely aims to take the time-consuming part out, but still maintain the helpful filters.

So instead of writing about who you are or what you want, you can choose to “activate” or include in your profile adjectives that the app provides in a ready-made list. For instance, you can choose descriptors like: “vegetarian,” “blonde,” “curvy,” “freckles,” “tattoos.”

The app provides a variety of personality-based filters in addition to physical descriptors, covering art, fitness, politics, diet and religion, for instance. If your religious or political views are important in your relationships, you can make your beliefs known to others. Or you can choose to not make them part of your filters.

Are you a plus size dater looking for a new and better online dating experience? WooPlus aims to create a friendlier, more enjoyable time for daters who are sick of apps and online dating sites geared towards people with leaner bodies, and are looking for a more accepting environment.

Niche dating sites are a huge part of online dating. While Tinder serves the general dating market, some sites and apps prefer to focus on a certain segment of the market with particular tastes – whether it’s dating people who have the same political beliefs, eating habits, or religious views, for instance. Some dating sites even cater to hobbies, lifestyles and preferences like Star Trek fans, farmers, tattoo lovers, or those who prefer to date redheads.

Gay dating app Grindr has partnered up with a Chinese gaming company for its first-ever outside investment. Beijing Kunlun Tech Co., the company that helped introduce Angry Birds to China, offered $93 million in cash for 60 percent of New Grindr LLC.

Beijing Kunlun Chairman Zhou Yahui came across the opportunity while scouting other potential investments in the U.S., said a company spokeswoman, Sophie Chen. Grindr is one of seven deals Zhou has overseen for Kunlun since April. The company hopes its newest addition will broaden its portfolio of services and create a new source of revenue. It is expected to leverage Grindr's popularity to augment income from outside China by directing users towards its games.

“Grindr is the top platform in their area and is mostly known as data-driven, as well as for their great user base,” Chen said in an e-mail to Bloomberg. “It’s essential to the Kunlun global Internet eco-sphere.”

Although the deal awaits antitrust review by the U.S. Government, Bloomberg reports that Beijing Kunlun’s shares rose by the maximum daily 10 percent limit after news of the pact went public.

The move isn't a surprise for those who have been following Grindr's maneuvers behind the scenes. The app had been exploring a sale or fundraising round for much of last year in hopes of accelerating its growth beyond the matchmaking sphere.

In the wake of Kunlun's majority investment, Grindr has been valued at $155 million and founder Joel Simkhai assured users that it would be “business as usual” for the app in an open letter posted on the company blog.

“For nearly seven years, Grindr has self-funded its growth, and in doing so, we have built the largest network for gay men in the world,” he writes. “We have taken this investment in our company to accelerate our growth, to allow us to expand our services for you, and to continue to ensure that we make Grindr the number one app and brand for our millions of users.”

Simkhai also promises “a renewed sense of purpose” and “additional resources” post-investment, as well as new features and services planned for 2016.

Grindr, founded in 2009, hosts 2 million visitors daily across 196 countries, according to a company fact sheet. Despite its runaway success, the Los Angeles-based mobile app does not list China among its top 10 markets by daily active users. The US takes the top spot, followed by the UK, Mexico, Brazil and France.

China’s attitude toward homosexuality has changed radically in the past decade, meaning the scene could finally be set for Grindr to expand within the country, although it will face stiff competition from a domestic gay social networking app (founded by a former police officer) called Blued.

There’s no doubt that Tinder has changed online dating. Instead of checking profiles on our laptops in the privacy of our homes, Tinder has turned swiping and judging potential dates into a game that people share openly. In fact, it’s become an addiction for some. Even when they meet a date they like, that they want to keep swiping and seeing who else is out there.

In fact, having so many choices has turned us into dating “robots,” according to one essay in The New Inquiry. That is, on Tinder, people mindlessly swipe. Perhaps they message a few people, or arrange to go out on a few dates, but the intention when using Tinder is not to focus on building a relationship, but on swiping. In fact, they argue that being on Tinder is promoting the idea of being “chill” and conveying to your dates that you have no expectations with a date leading to anything (even if you do).

In fact, being “chill” is such a prominent part of dating app culture, that people have essentially taught themselves that their feelings should be removed from the equation, in order to be open to even more opportunities. More is better, right? Online daters have become “emotionally disassociated,” as the authors of “Tinderization of Feeling” argue, simply because it’s so emotionally draining to look at so many photos, have so many options – because what happens if you make the wrong choice? What happens if you emotionally invest in a date only to have them reject you?

Today, rejection seems almost intolerable, though rejection historically has been a natural part of dating. But if you make the date feel more casual – i.e. a “hang” or just meeting someone for 20 minutes before you start swiping again – there's no real rejection. You will always be looking for the next, better option, instead of having regret over not dating someone. Because….what if there’s someone better?

The authors of The New Inquiry article argue the problem all comes down to having too many choices. They say: “Living with a sense of overwhelming choice means exerting an insane amount of emotional energy in making the most banal decisions.” People can barely make a decision about what to watch on Netflix, there are so many options…it’s no different with dating. So with Tinder, the swiping becomes a game, because we don’t leave any room for more complexity and the intricacies involved with getting to know someone and developing true feeling for them – we don’t know how to deal with a potential date beyond the yes/no initial factor.

So, swipe, message, meet, maybe sleep with, then move on becomes the norm.

But you can choose differently. You can have control over how you want to date by taking more time and getting to know your dates. By rejecting the yes/no one-second response time of Tinder in favor of a more considered approach. What if you took your time, and invested emotionally in the potential of one of your dates? What if you took a risk?

Love doesn't just happen without effort, without risk. If you want to keep swiping and dating, you'll probably end up in a series of unfulfilling, emotionless flings. But if you put yourself out there? The rewards and risks are much greater. But isn't that the point of love?

There is a better and more effective way to date. You just have to be willing to get past all the swiping and figure it out in person, on a real date. You have to be willing to risk rejection - real rejection - as well as love.

For more about this dating app, please read our review of Tinder.