eHarmony is an online relationship service. eHarmony matches men and women with compatible singles, taking into consideration what it considers key dimensions of personality. In addition to singles matching, eHarmony operates eHarmony Labs, a relationship research facility, and publishes eHarmony Advice, a growing relationship advice site. eHarmony, which was launched on August 22, 2000, is based in Pasadena, CA and has operations in the U.S., Australia and Canada. The company is privately-held, with investors that include Technology Crossover Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Fayez Sarofim & Co.

History

eHarmony was founded by Neil Clark Warren, PhD, one of the best-known experts on establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. In the late 1990s, after more than 35 years of work as a clinical psychologist and marriage counselor, Warren decided to test his evolving theory that certain characteristics can predict compatibility, and lead to more satisfying relationships. After three years of research, working in collaboration with Dr. Galen Buckwalter, now the Vice President of Research and Development at eHarmony, Warren developed a predictive, scientific model of compatibility that is now the basis of the company's matching system.

eHarmony launched its matching service for singles in 2000. Since then, the company has had about 20 million members and has grown such that, in 2008, about 15,000 people take the eHarmony questionnaire each day. After finding a match on eHarmony, Harris Interactive reports than an average of 236 eHarmony members marry every day.

In addition to the singles matching service, eHarmony operates eHarmony Labs, a relationship research facility, and publishes eHarmony Advice, a growing relationship advice site.

Methodology

At eHarmony, new members complete a questionnaire that determines key characteristics, beliefs, values, emotional health and skills. Sophisticated matching algorithms uses these answers to match members with compatible users.

A user who completes an initial personality analysis survey (essentially a personality test developed by Dr. Galen Buckwalter, Director of Research at eHarmony) may then specify a number of additional criteria, "self selects" by which to create a more accurate potential pool of recommended matches. Among the criteria available for the user's specificity are self selected age range, ethnicity, religious affiliation, geographical vicinity, and maternity/paternity status (children living with/children living away/no children). In conjunction with the 258-question relationship questionnaire, this is how all of the matches are delivered. One significant scoring factor is what may be called the honesty factor. This is a psychological profiling technique designed to score the relative honesty of the respondent. This factor is apparently considered by eHarmony as a significant factor in arriving at a good match. Contrary to many other matchmaking services, the user is not allowed to browse through profiles or choose potential matches themselves, and must rely completely on the eHarmony service itself to arrange potential matches.