The basic structure of a speed-dating study A speed-dating study typically consists of three parts.

First, as individuals sign up to participate, the researcher will want to assess background information about each of them.

Researchers can readily customise the background information they collect depending on their research interests. Commercial speed-dating companies will try to recruit many individuals to attend each event, thus maximising revenue and, consequently, the total number of speed-dates.

However, there are several reasons why researchers might want to restrict event attendance, perhaps limiting participants to a dozen dates or so.

For one, some evidence suggests that participants have a better speed-dating experience when they go on a moderate number of dates rather than a large number (Fisman et al., 2006).

Secondly, with the time freed up by including fewer dates, researchers can administer a questionnaire at the end of each date to assess participants’ impressions of each speed-dating partner.

As researchers of romantic attraction, we think about all the single people meeting each other for the first time – chatting for a few moments, deciding whether or not they’d like to get to know each other better – and we are heartbroken not to be observing unobtrusively.

Every night, researchers who investigate relationships and person perception miss out on great opportunities. Interpersonal perception: A social relations analysis.

It is true that people at parties can often form real relationships with real futures, and this external validity makes such social gatherings ideal sources of data on real-life mating behaviour (Eastwick & Finkel, in press). In speed-dating, romantically eligible individuals attend an event where they have a chance to meet all the attendees of the sex that they romantically prefer. Speed-dating as an invaluable tool for studying romantic attraction: A methodological primer. Each date lasts just a few minutes, and the attendees use their quickly generated impressions to decide whether or not they would (‘yes’) or would not (‘no’) be interested in seeing each of their speed-dates again. In some cases, researchers will be content to assess who has said yes to whom and which matches have subsequently contacted one another. However, very little research has explored the span of time between an initial encounter and the formation of a romantic relationship. Using a paper-and-pencil or online questionnaire, researchers can assess demographic, personality and attitude measures. Time permitting, researchers might also assess baseline levels of biomarkers such as cortisol and alpha amylase, and, in women, contraception use and menstrual cycle phase. Speed-dating also offers an opportunity to study interracial dating dynamics: for example, individuals are more likely to prefer same-race over interracial speed-dating partners if they grew up in a location characterised by strong opposition to interracial marriage (Fisman et al., 2008). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 245–264. In short, speed-dating presents an excellent opportunity for researchers to study a variety of topics related to interpersonal relationships. This discussion is intended to provide a general overview of speed-dating procedures. Elsewhere, we have provided an extensive how-to manual for researchers planning to conduct their own speed-dating research, reviewing issues such as recruitment strategies, institutional review board concerns, payment considerations, and use of the internet (Finkel et al., 2007). How terrific would it be if there existed a type of social gathering with just a bit more structure; something that romantically eligible individuals would want to attend, but that would also permit data collection and experimental control? About a decade ago, a rabbi in Los Angeles named Yaacov Deyo provided the answer: speed-dating. Recent research Several different research teams have used speed-dating in recent years to explore a wide variety of topics. Speed-dating: A powerful and flexible paradigm for studying romantic relationship initiation. For example, we have used speed-dating to explore men’s and women’s preferences for a romantic partner’s physical attractiveness and earning prospects (Eastwick & Finkel, 2008).