eHarmony was the first relationship service to use relationship science to develop its compatibility matching and marriage profiles. We are committed to investigating and understanding what makes relationships successful through rigorous scientific methodology. We also use current psychological literature and psychometric theory to guide our studies and products. With the formation of eHarmony Labs, eHarmony now produces relationship research that extends beyond previous efforts to understand relationship dynamics at every stage of their development.

Furthermore, eHarmony Labs is the only online relationship service that contributes to academic research. While some of the research we conduct is for product development, and therefore proprietary, much of our research is submitted for peer review and academic publication. We are committed to sharing the knowledge we gain and we collaborate with an expert advisory committee to better the field of research and improve relationships. This blending of academic research standards within our service creates a powerful new way to conduct pure research and produce scientifically-sound products.

MISSION

Too often important relationship research findings are disseminated to only a small audience of academic researchers and are not reported to the general public. In this environment where important knowledge is not widely known, many unqualified individuals can portray themselves as “relationship experts” and deliver advice and guidance that has little – if any – scientific support. And in the worst case scenario, this inaccurate information can even be harmful. The goals of eHarmony Labs:

• Conduct and support top caliber research on relationship processes
• Assure the research is state of the art and contributes to relationship knowledge
• Educate the public about important relationship research by disseminating findings, reports and results widely, frequently and accurately
• Develop products and services that will improve relationship functionality and further the business success of eHarmony.com

BACKGROUND

eHarmony is one of the few successful products developed entirely by academic researchers using accepted scientific techniques. Dr. Neil Clark Warren, who earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of Chicago, knew from his 35+ years of clinical work that many American marriages were troubled. He also recognized that some marriages were deeply satisfying unions of two fulfilled individuals. Dr. Warren’s sense was that solid marriages were comprised of similar persons while marriages that deteriorated did so because the differences between the individuals became harder to resolve as time passed. Dr. Warren’s approach to understanding this problem was the first example of the collaboration between business and University scientists.

In 1997, Dr. Warren began collaboration with Dr. Galen Buckwalter, then a Professor at the University of Southern California. Together they developed the first National Study of Marriages. Soon joined by Dr. Steven Carter, a graduate of the University of Southern California, the team’s research identified the pattern of profiles between husbands and wives that was consistently associated with the most successful marriages. This research was the basis for thenow patented eHarmony Compatibility Matching System™ and has served as the foundation for a new generation of relationship research through the auspices of eHarmony Labs.