Dating app Hinge is taking after OkCupid by collecting its user data and publishing results that might help people better connect. The latest report outlines the best pick-up lines among users of its app – and as it turns out, the way to a woman’s heart might just be through her stomach.

To conduct the survey, Hinge recruited copywriters and data analysts to compose 100 original openers, and sent them to 22 percent of Hinge users, who were then given the option of sending these openers to their matches. After studying eight million impressions, trends began to emerge. Some were expected - daters who want to connect should definitely avoid generic statements like 'Hey, what's up?' as an opening line, for example. The data was refined and categorized to give more in-depth info about who was responding—including their gender, age, and location across the U.S.

Results of the month-long experiment showed the most effective conversation starters for women include food references. For instance, a guy could ask a question like: “Chocolate, red velvet, or funfetti?” referring to cupcake preferences, or “Best discovery: Netflix or avocados?” for example. Hinge noted that “women are 40% more likely than men to respond to openers that are food-related.”

Men were most responsive when asked out directly, and particularly if those messages were assertive (the types of messages most women don’t like, which should be noted). For instance, if a woman put herself out there and confidently asked “Drinks soon?” or “Free this week?” men were 98% more likely to respond favorably.

Males were also found to have shorter attention spans: If they don’t receive a response to a message within six hours, a quarter of them will drop out of sight, compared with only five per cent of women.

As far as age groups, the 35 and older crowd prefers pop culture references. For instance, they responded best to “Katy Perry or Taylor Swift?” or “Bears, beets, or Battlestar Gallactica?” The 20-somethings preferred introductions about lifestyle with lines like: “Better adventure: Rock climbing or scuba diving?” or “Sunday priorities: Exercise, sleep or aggressive mimosas?” The 18-23 age group seemed to prefer novelty questions like: “Pain reliever personality: Advil, Tylenol or complaining?” and “You’re having your portrait painted – what’s your backdrop?”

Regional responses varied too, with folks in Los Angeles preferring entertainment-related questions (no surprise), and users in the Mid-West liking the 90’s references.

Hinge connects people through Facebook circles, and is available for both Android and iPhone. For more on Hinge, you can read our review.

Fall is upon us which signals that it's time to start getting ready for the Dating Sites Reviews Awards. At the beginning of the month the Single's Choice Award poll was setup. After 8 days we now have received 31 votes. It would be great if the poll received 500 voters by the end of this year (for reference last year we got 359).

The Single's Choice Award is our most important award since it is the only one decided on by you, the visitors of DatingSitesReviews.com. The poll has 2 questions, with the first one asking what you feel the best paid dating service is. You can choose 1 from a choice of 8 of the most popular dating services (both websites and apps are listed). The second question is similar but asks which you think is the best free dating service. You can then choose 1 from 8 of the most popular free dating services. The Editor's at Dating Sites Reviews consider a dating site free when a member can create a profile, add photo's, search, and then communicate via email with their matches for free and with no credit card required. Free dating sites may still offer some sort of paid upgrade for additional features (as almost all do now these days anyways).

Please go ahead and cast your vote in the Single Choice Award:

At this time we at Dating Sites Reviews also start considering which dating service deserves to be recognized in our Top Pick Award categories. The recipients of these awards are determined by the Editor’s. We take into account a number of different factors, some of these are pricing, popularity online, the features offered, and customer service.

For 2015 the categories for the Editor's Top Picks Awards include:

• Top Pick - Overall
• Top Pick - Innovative
• Top Pick - Match System
• Top Pick - Christian
• Top Pick - Senior
• Top Pick - Wealthy
• Top Pick - Sexy
• Top Pick - Dating App
• Top Pick - Free

No new categories sparked our interest this year so the ones listed above are the same as last years awards.

This is the ninth year for the DSR Awards (Wow has it been almost a decade!). Starting in January 2016, each few days or so we will release our choice for one of the Top Pick Awards. This will end on Valentine's Day in February with the winner of our top award, the Single's Choice Award.

Related items: Poll - 2015 Dating Sites Reviews Single's Choice Award.

A pork lover's dream, a vegetarian's nightmare. The online dating world's newest app is also one of its strangest: Sizzl, a dating app for bacon lovers.

It was bound to happen at some point. People love dating. People love bacon. A melding of the two is a natural progression. Oscar Mayer is the genius brand behind the app and sure, it's a gimmick, but that doesn't mean we can't love it. There's a niche dating service for everything else. Might as well be one for fried pork strips, too.

iOS users (sorry Android fans, no sizzling for you) can download the app and sign in with Facebook. You're then tasked with answering a series of questions about your taste in bacon. What kind of bacon do you love the most? How do you like your bacon cooked? What would you do if you were with a date and there was only one piece of bacon left?

After you've answered these important philosophical queries, you can start searching for a sizzling Saturday night date. The app takes the familiar Tinder approach to matching, using GPS to find other app users locally or nationwide. But don't expect a swipe. Sizzl is way more fun.

Sizzl users indicate how much “sizzle” they feel for each other by holding a finger down on a heart-shaped button. The longer you press, the more the screen pulses with bacon-y colors (that is, if you're will to put your bacon greasy paws on it in the first place). If two users “like” each other, they are directed to an in-app messaging platform and can set up what Oscar Mayer is calling "bacon-wrapped dates." Oy.

If you happen to run across someone who doesn't actually love bacon (blasphemy!), you can report the trespasser by clicking a button on their profile picture that says "Doesn't love bacon." It all sounds like a joke, but according to Oscar Mayer marketing director Eric Dahmer, the app is the real deal.

"In love, as it is in bacon, it's important to be discerning when selecting your perfect match and to never settle for less than the best," Dahmer says in a statement. "We passionately cure our bacon for 12 hours, and lovingly smoke-house it for another 12, making it the true bacon for bacon lovers. With the launch of Sizzl, we're thrilled to give our true bacon lovers the chance to find each other and potentially meet their soul mates, in life and in bacon."

Step aside, “must love dogs.” “Must love bacon” is the new catchphrase in town.

Spark Networks, owner of JDate and ChristianMingle, has launched a brand-new iPhone app. Named simply Spark, the new app turns the swipe into a way to make conscious, informed dating choices.

The world of dating apps isn't exactly sparse. Far from it. And users are used to seeing the same features over and over again. So what sets Spark apart?

Spark is both free and ad free. It also pulls user profiles directly from Facebook, making it exceptionally easy to use. Its most distinctive feature is that Spark, unlike other dating apps, offers ‘swiping with a choice.’ Instead of mindlessly swiping past single profiles at a time, Spark users compare multiple profiles simultaneously.

Spark presents two pictures, one on top of the other. Tap a picture to bring up more information on the person. Swipe up or double tap to select your favorite and, if it's a match, the two of you will be able to message each other within the app. If it's not a mutual match, communication isn't allowed.

If you're not interested in either profile, you can tap the “Skip” button to receive two new profiles. You can skip up to five times within a 24-hour period. If you run out of skips, you can either wait for them to be replenished or purchase points within the app, which can then be used towards additional skips.

“After matching on most other dating apps, many users realize the match is not a good fit and don’t pursue additional communication. The Spark dating app’s unique interface changes this behavior by encouraging each person to take a moment to learn a bit more about their matches,” said Michael Egan, Chief Executive Officer, Spark Networks. “This process helps members to be more selective, which ultimately leads to better matches and better dates!”

Spark is very new on the online dating scene, but it has potential. A minimal profile and simple swipe suffice if physical attraction is what you're looking for, but if you're on the hunt for a more serious relationship, Spark's dual profiles could be the answer. The process encourages users to pause, spend more time reading profiles, and get a deeper understanding of their potential dates.

The Spark dating app launched on August 27 and has so far been a success. It was featured as a “Best New App” on iTunes and registered over 10,000 users in the first five days. iTunes also continues to feature it in their list of the top 100 Free Social Networking apps.

We all know the heady feeling of passion – how it makes us feel and how we crave it in our love lives. There is the rush of emotion when you get a text from the object of your affection, or see him standing in front of you. There is that warm feeling that comes over you when you kiss, when you have sex, when you are wrapped up in each other. Desire, passion, lust – these are extreme emotional highs that we crave.

Maybe you’ve been on a few dates with someone who fills you with that passion. You’re already planning trips together, dreaming about how perfect he seems for you. You look forward to the relationship progressing, to moving in together, to him being “the one.” You fantasize about your love, and how he brings out such emotion in you.

Then a few weeks later, the sex isn’t so hot. He isn’t so attractive. He has this annoying habit of interrupting you every time you start to say something. His house is a mess and you feel like his mother when you clean up after him. He is still in touch with his ex girlfriend. He starts calling you less and less often, and isn’t so excited to see you anymore.

Needless to say, the seeds of passion have not brought the bloom of long-term love that you were craving in the first place.

When it comes to long-term relationships, these passion-filled romances don’t typically stand the test of time. They are intense, but like every high, at some point, you must come down. And then comes the true test of the relationship.

Long-term relationships require a deeper connection than passion. They often take a long time to grow. Which is why it’s not the best idea to reject dates who don’t bring out that passion you crave right away.

Passion isn’t just about heady, immediate lust. While that is always tempting to follow, it’s important to consider what you truly want: a life filled with short-term, intense flings? Or a long-term companion where love grows deeper?

Seeking long-term love as opposed to chasing passion isn’t about settling. It’s about understanding what you really want. It’ thinking about more than heady feelings of lust – but rather, about mutual respect, kindness and about having a real and lasting connection with a partner. Passion wears off no matter what relationship you are in, so you have to ask yourself: what is left after that? Do I even like the person I’m with?

What is it that I’m really hoping to have?

Most of us crave deeper connections. We don’t want someone who is just around for the good times, and takes off when things get rough or boring. We want someone we can trust, who we like, who makes us laugh, who respects and cares for us, who is committed for the long haul. This isn’t the stuff of passion – it is the stuff of deep relationships. Be clear about what you want before you keep chasing passion.

eHarmony is offering a free trial this weekend here in the United States. It starts Friday October 2nd and ends at the end of the day on Monday October 5th. The sooner you register the longer you will have to communicate with your matches for free. No credit card is required.

The days are getting noticeably shorter and the air is turning crisp. Summer is over and everyone is back from their vacations. Fall is here. A good time to try a bold adventure in life is when a new season is upon us. If your dating life is stuck in a rut and is going no where, online dating is the recommended solution. If you are interested in finding a quality partner for a long-term relationship then eHarmony is a good dating site to try. With free communication weekends at eHarmony you can create a profile, receive matches, and communicate with those matches for no cost. To get started it just takes about 45 minutes of your time before you will be reviewing your potential matches. eHarmony can be accessed via your web browser or through an app from iTunes and Google Play. During free weekends all members can communicate so this means it is an extra busy time, which is good for you.

Free communication events at eHarmony do not include: the phone service called secure call, skipping the guided communication process, and viewing of profile photos. For more information on this popular dating service you can check out our review of eHarmony.