Today’s Washington Post magazine had a cover story on its regular Sunday magazine feature, Date Lab- which essentially connects two people (who apply and are accepted) on a first date. Date Lab has been in existence for five years and during that time it has matched 253 couples for first dates. According to their statistics, 104 matches were “successful” meaning they ended with the prospect of a second date. 31% of participants reported that they “felt chemistry” on their date. 72% said they would do Date Lab again. 89& would recommend it to their friends. That last statistic is pretty high- must mean that even if it didn’t work for them, the participants felt it was well worth trying. The ages of the participants ranged from 21 to 50+, with the 21-25 age range representing the largest group (32%) of the couples- and the 50 and older set at 6%. I couldn’t glean if these figures corresponded to the amount of applicants in each age group, or if more of the younger daters were deemed most appropriate.
In the article, they profile one couple who made it to the altar. They also talk about a couple who became engaged. It’s not clear just how many couples who met this way have actually made it to the altar- and Date Lab seems to define success as a couple feeling chemistry and open to a second date. Indeed, this is a prerequisite for any potential long term relationship.
If you haven’t read the feature, I suggest you check it out. What have you got to lose but an evening of your time if it doesn’t pan out? Who knows, you could be one of the lucky ones.
Oh, and note to Date Lab- if you want to get some input on how to match individuals, my services are available.