Soul2match and Find Your FaceMate are two new dating sites that match people based on the concept of facial analysis. Soul2Match is more of a dating site, whereas FYFM is a service where you upload a photo of you and the other person and your compatibility level is calculated.
I’ve talked to several experts in facial coding and matching systems. So far the general consensus is that its great for certain things, “Is Heidi Klume angry at Seal in this photo?” and not necessarily, “You should date this person because her Owen Wilson nose matches your upturned pig snout”. Its going to take time for the right measurements to find their way onto matching services (a study is one thing, a dating site is another entirely) and a heck of a lot more research.
In case you were wondering, Find Your FaceMate’s matching system is based on the following research.
Griffith & Kunz, Facial Recognition and Resemblance Enhances Trust. 1973
Assortative Mating: A Study of Physiognomic Homogamy.
Social Biology, 20, 448-453.
Thiessen & Greg, Human and Assortative Mating and Genetic Equilibrium. 1980
Ethology and Sociobiology
Volume 1, Issue 2, April 1980, Pages 111-140
Kalick & Hamilton, The Matching Hypothesis Reexamined. 1986
http://www.elainehatfield.com/ch108.pdf
Verlin B. Hinsz, Facial Resemblance in Engaged and Married Couples. 1989
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships May 1989 vol. 6 no. 2 223-229
http://spr.sagepub.com/content/6/2/223.abstract
Aron & Aron, Love and the Expansion of Self: Understanding Attraction and Satisfaction. 1986
(Clinical and Community Psychology) [Paperback]
ISBN-10: 0891164596
Jaffe & Liliana Alavrez, Narcissism Guides Mate Selection. 1996
Evolutionary Psychology
Human-nature.com/ep – 2004. 2: 177-194
Yela & Sangrador, Perception of Physical Attractiveness Throughout Loving Relationships. 2001
Current Research in Social Psychology
Publication date: February 16, 2001
DeBruine, LM, Self-seeking Like Hypothesis Enhances Trust. 2002
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London
Biology, 269, 1307-1312.
Little, Burt & Perret, Assortative Mating for Perceived Facial Personality Traits. 2005
Personality and Individual Differences
Volume 40, Issue 5, April 2006, Pages 973-984
My favorite app for this sort of thing remains FaceReader.
While none of these services are 100% accurate, they are expected to improve over time as the algorithms are tuned and more people use them and provide feedback.
