What can matchmaking offer? A look at the research

A good introduction begins with someone taking the time to understand you: how you live, what matters to you, and the kind of connection you would like to make.

That is the appeal of matchmaking. You have someone to think with, a more considered way to meet, and room to give an introduction your attention. Research into dating helps explain why this approach is worth exploring.

Someone to help you think it through

In a 2024 study of one professional matchmaking service, communication researcher Liesel Sharabi surveyed matchmakers and analysed couple data. The findings suggest that part of a matchmaker’s work is helping people clarify—and sometimes reconsider—what they want in a partner.

That makes the conversation itself valuable. What matters in everyday life can be more revealing than a list of ideal traits: the pace you enjoy, how you spend your time, and what makes you feel understood. At Matchelier, getting to know you is where an introduction begins.

Read the study: Love, (un)automated: Human matchmaking in the era of online dating

Fewer introductions, more attention

In three studies by Tila Pronk and Jaap Denissen, participants became more likely to reject potential partners as they viewed successive options. The researchers describe a “rejection mind-set”: an abundance of possibilities can change how people respond to the person in front of them.

For us, this offers a reason to give each introduction more space. Matchelier is designed around considered introductions, with a person reviewing each possibility. The idea is to make it easier to pause, be curious, and decide whether you would like to meet.

Read the study: A Rejection Mind-Set: Choice Overload in Online Dating

Make room for the meeting

A 2017 speed-dating study by Samantha Joel and colleagues explored romantic attraction using machine learning. The models could predict general tendencies to desire others and to be desired, but could not predict the unique attraction between a particular pair from the information collected before they met.

There is something encouraging in that: the meeting matters. An introduction can give you a thoughtful starting point. The conversation, ease, humour, and attraction that follow are yours to discover together. We want to help make that first meeting possible, while leaving the decision with both people.

Read the research summary: Romantic Matches Are Hard to Predict Before People Meet

Care in the introduction. Freedom in what follows.

These studies illuminate parts of the dating experience. They do not establish a universal matchmaking success rate or show that Matchelier produces better long-term relationships than dating apps.

What we can offer is a clear approach: private conversations, time spent understanding what matters to you, and human review before an introduction reaches either person. You both choose whether to take the next step.

Joining and onboarding are free. You only pay when you both agree to meet.

For us, the promise is to put care into the introduction and make space for a real meeting. The relationship is yours to discover.