The name says it all. Perfectmatch.com strives to find your “perfect match.” Yes, the person who complements you, understands you, and is, ultimately, your “soul mate.”
In fact, the site takes the task of matchmaking rather seriously, employing an almost mathematical approach. The “Duet Total Compatibility System,” also known as “Duet,” is the foundation of Perfectmatch.com. The program was devised by Pepper Schwartz, a sociologist and sexologist, famous for her studies in partnering. Modeled after the Meyer-Briggs test, “Duet” aims to capture your personality through a series of questions, which are actually very structured and intentional.
The test is divided into two main categories: “Similarity,” which includes questions on “Romantic Impulsivity,” “Personal Energy,” and “Outlook,” and the “Complementary Section,” which includes questions on “Flexibility,” “Decision-Making Style,” “Emotionality,” and “Self-Nurturing.”
Questions touch upon your personal preferences (like, how much you value alone time or one-on-one couple time), ethical questions (whether or not you feel strongly about recycling, or church attendance), and your individual traits (if you consider yourself easily anxious, or a perfectionist, or lazy). Some of the questions even ask about your “flaws” – or, in other words, what you think your partner would need to tolerate (e.g. financial instability, laziness, chattiness) for the relationship to survive.
After these answers are tallied up, you are fully analyzed by the system. These results match you with other users, all of whom also took the test. From there, you are supposedly in an advantageous position, reviewing potential “perfect matches.” You can see which “matches” are appealing to you by reviewing their profiles. From there, you can email or chat.
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One thing that particularly irritated me was that, after completed the questionnaire (which must have taken about 25 minutes), I didn’t receive my answer or analysis. Why not? I’m not a paying member. Thanks for NOT warning me about that in advance, Perfectmatch. I just had 25 minutes sucked out of my life.
Nevertheless, if you are a paying member, the idea behind the site makes sense. In fact, it’s these kinds of surveys which are supposedly the best offerings of online dating – a way to honestly identify your needs, and a way to find someone who feels the same.
Also, I was irked to spend FOREVER finding the pricing. Perfectmatch really makes it difficult to just find out how much it costs to become a “premium” member, which is basically required to fully use the site. It turns out that one month costs $60, and 6 months costs $174. They don’t even list what a year costs – and I’m sure it’s not a low number.
But some of the questions are seriously good questions, like if you get easily provoked, or if you are the type of person who needs alone time. But there’s also some questions that made me laugh. For example, a true-or-false if somebody thinks political issues are important is utterly ridiculous. Of course most people will select “true.” But come on! I can’t count how many times people have told me they’re “into politics” and then don’t know the basic facts about the world, or our government.
Overall, I think the site has worthy attributes. But my main issue with the “Duet” system is its pretense of summarizing our emotional complexities. How can the site understand me from a “true” or “false” questionnaire? Half of the questions didn’t have a “true” or “false” answer for me – it was somewhere in between, or with certain important exceptions. And isn’t that most people – layered, complex?
Okay, even if they did get my personality “right,” somehow. How would they properly “match” me? Maybe I don’t want someone who completely tolerates my perfectionism. Maybe I want someone who forces me to ease up and let go. Ultimately, I think I know better than anybody what I want and how I should get it. In that sense, I find the “Duet” system too simplistic.
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But, on a business level, the company is very media savvy. Scores of people have praised the “Duet” system. And the website has appeared in movies (Must Love Dogs, Mall Cop), popular television programs (Oprah), and has partnered with MSNBC, Oxygen, Warner Brothers, and other networks.
Despite my criticisms, however, I would recommend Perfectmatch.com. It’s a great way to gain further insight into who you are and what you want. Not to mention, it has an innovative approach to matchmaking that may actually produce some amazing results. When it comes to dating, it’s always worth your time to shoot up every alley. You never know where you’ll find love, romance, or the “perfect match.”
