Online Dating Version 9.0 - Neurodating

by David Evans on February 16, 2005 · 1 comment

in Technology

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging has moved from the labs into social terrain. Brain Waves, a Corante blog, writes about neurodating. “It is foreseeable that functional images of the brain could be used to facilitate courtships by assessing personal compatibility.” I’ve filled out more mind-numbing personality profiles than I care to admit, and I can’t wait to put on paper underwear, lie down in a cool room bathed in blue lights and have my personality scanned, uploaded and matched through the Compata3000 augmented profiling system. What’s 29 dimensions of compatibility when you can have 2.9 billion?

{ 1 comment }

James Houran, Ph.D.No Gravatar 02.17.05 at 10:13 am
While personality certainly has a biological basis (studies show that some personality disorders are genetic), the proposal of an MRI based “personality test” much less a “compatibility test” is science fiction at this point. Moreover, it will likely remain fiction for a LONG time to come. Psychology and psychiatry has come a long way, but brain mapping to such a degree would be the “holy grail” to say the least.

As for personality assessments, they can be quite accurate and useful if they are actually grounded in scientific research. They might be mind-numbing, but are they really more time consuming or mind-numbing that the offline dating scene?!!!! In this day and age of instant gratification, we have become spoiled!

Thanks

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