WHAT IS SPEED DATING?

What is speed dating?

Speed dating is an arranged form of matchmaking that focuses on meeting a lot of people in a very short span of time. In a way, it is a very modern and contemporary version of the traditional Indian matchmaking. In fact, it is a much easier and more efficient way of finding excellent prospective matches than the commonly practiced matrimonial dating these days.

In a speed dating event, single people from both the genders get to talk to each other over short meetings of five minutes each. These face-to-face five-minute meetings are called speed dates. After each of these speed dates, the participants need to tick a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’ in the box against the question asking them if they would like to meet the person they just met, once again, before moving on to their next speed date.

The event gets over after all the speed dates have taken place. That is, each participant has had a chance to meet every other participant of the opposite sex. The organizers then match the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ ticks of each and every participant in order to find out which of them would like to meet each other again and  send emails to the participants, disclosing the full names and contact details of their matches, so that they can carry on from there on their own.

What is the objective of speed dating? Who is it meant for?

The objective of speed dating is to allow smart young professionals, who would like to get married but are still looking around for the right partner, to meet wonderful new people with similar backgrounds in a fun, safe and private environment.

The hardest part of matchmaking is the opportunity to meet sufficient enough number of compatible and interesting new people so that the probability of making a good alliance can be improved. Speed dating can help do that easily. It is a great way for meeting lots of new people, who are sailing in the same boat, and who are actively searching for good matches themselves, in a short span of time.

Speed dating is ideally meant for those professionals who get very limited time to socialize due to their very hectic professional schedules. They tend to hang with the same set of friends and colleagues every other day. Due to this they hardly get any opportunities to meet new people, which significantly hamper their chances of running into good prospective matches.

What is the science behind speed dating?

It has been scientifically proven that speed dating is a highly effective tool for matchmaking. It can really help people decide who they want to meet again. When two people meet they subconsciously exchange verbal and non-verbal signals. This exchange of signals kicks in the chemistry, which can be either positive or negative. On the basis of this strong intuitive feeling, one can usually decide whether one would like to meet the other person again or not.

Studies have shown that people can take this decision really very quickly, often in a matter of a few minutes. Incidentally, this advantage of judging people by intuition and personal chemistry can only be availed in a personal one-to-one meeting and can never be felt through any online speed dating experience.

What is the history behind speed dating?

Speed dating, in its current form, was perhaps first started by Rabbi Yaacov Deyo in Los Angeles in 1999 for young Jewish singles to meet for the purpose of finding good prospective matches. It soon spread throughout the rest of the western world as a revolutionary new way for busy single people to meet each other without any of the stigma associated with online dating.

Now, it is increasingly becoming a necessity in today’s fast-paced world, even in relatively conservative Asian societies such as in India, where young professionals often do not enjoy the luxury of time but still feel the need to break away from the traditional ways and try to find their soul mates on their own. Speed dating offers a fun and safe way to meet many like-minded, interesting and compatible prospects at one go. Therefore, speed dating in India has a great future.