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Boxing Day Blues Send Singles Searching For Love
SINGLES FLOCK TO THE WEB OVER THE FESTIVE SEASON
Over the last few weeks, thousands of Australians have turned to the Internet in the hope that
2010 will be the year
they find love. The post-Boxing Day surge has been so great that
relationship site eHarmony.com.au has termed the phenomenon “Family Induced Dating”.
“The combination of family pressure during the Christmas season and the desire to make
positive changes in a new year prompt many single people to put their romantic relationships
front and centre” explained Dr. Gian Gonzaga, senior director of relationship research at
eHarmony. “Busy people who want to be proactive and broaden their sphere of potential
mates frequently turn to online relationship and dating sites during this time of year.”
This powerful combination of forces has resulted in some of the biggest recorded traffic in
eHarmony.com.au’s history. Traffic to the site increased by a staggering 253% nationally for
the week following Boxing Day, compared to the preceding week.
When examining eHarmony’s registration spikes across the country, NSW residents come out
on top, showing the highest increase in registrations to the site at 314%. Queensland followed
in clear second place, with an increase of 311%. The increases by state/territory in order from
highest to lowest are:
NSW – 314%
QLD – 311%
ACT – 232%
VIC – 203%
WA – 197%
SA – 173%
TAS – 151%
NT 138–%
It’s not just Australians who turn to the Internet for love at this time of year. eHarmony.com in
the United States, eHarmony.ca in Canada and eHarmony.co.uk have also experienced
surges in new members over the same period.
Dr. Gonzaga concludes: “Whilst the desire to find a relationship spikes over Christmas and
the New Year, it is important people remember to look for a quality relationship. Too often
people think any relationship is better than none at all, particularly when they face family
pressure to settle down. For those singles who are suffering from Family Induced Dating and
who genuinely want to find a long-term relationship, there is no better time to join eHarmony.
Our extensive research has shown that couples are more successful over the long-term when
matched on compatibility, particularly in key areas such as understanding your partner,
coordinating social interactions and conflict resolution.”
Over 500,000 people have registered with eHarmony.com.au since the site was launched.
Visit www.eHarmony.com.au now to find out more information.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
All metrics relating to eHarmony’s traffic and registration figures have been calculated using
internal data captured between December 2009 and January 4th 2010.
Dr Gian Gonzaga Ph.D, the world-renowned expert in the field of compatibility, relationships
and marriage is available for interview / comment.
For further information or briefings with Dr Gonzaga, please contact:
Michelle Crowshaw, P: 02 8020 1809 M: 0402 838 185 E: michelle@onegreenbean.com.au
About:
Dr Gian Gonzaga, Ph.D
Dr. Gian Gonzaga is a world-renowned expert in the field of compatibility, relationships and
marriage. He has taught, presented and published extensively on topics relating to
relationships, love and health, and has received numerous honors and awards for his work,
including the prestigious National Science Foundation minority Predoctoral Fellowship and
Psi Chi National Undergraduate Research Competition.
He is a member of several professional and academic associations including the American
Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, the Society for Personality
and Social Psychology and the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships.
Dr. Gonzaga holds a doctorate in Personality-Social Psychology from the University of
California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Gettysburg College in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
eHarmony Labs
Dr Gonzaga is senior research scientist at eHarmony Labs, the Pasadena, California-based
research centre set up to investigate and understand what makes relationships successful.
eHarmony Labs uses current psychological literature and psychometric theory to guide new
studies and eHarmony products. eHarmony Labs is a pioneer of relationship research that
extends beyond the US and into international markets.
eHarmony
Pasadena, Calif.-based eHarmony, Inc. (www.eharmony.com) was founded in 2000 and is a
pioneer in using relationship science to match singles seeking long-term relationships.
eHarmony was created by Dr. Neil Clark Warren, a clinical psychologist with more than 35
years of marriage guidance counseling experience. Prior to launching the online relationship
matching service, eHarmony spent three years researching the characteristics between
spouses that are consistently associated with the most successful relationships.
Unlike traditional dating sites eHarmony scientifically matches members to potential partners,
based on the results of an in-depth questionnaire new users complete, which uncovers key
aspects of the individuals’ personality, beliefs and values. Users then receives a Personality
Profile, which provides insight into their needs and values. Once the profile is complete, the
user will be matched only to compatible singles, determined through eHarmony’s patented
Compatibility Matching System™.
The company continues to invest heavily in research, with six Ph.Ds on staff at eHarmony
Labs and a prominent board of scientific advisors, led by Dr. Gonzaga. Prior to the launch of
eHarmony.com.au, a representative sample of over 700 Australian couples was studied, with
the results used to develop a country-specific model and validate the relationship
questionnaire.
More than 20 million people in 191 countries have registered with eHarmony. Research
conducted in 2007 revealed that on average 236** eHarmony members marry every day in
the United States as a result of being matched by eHarmony.
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