Ever wonder just how accurate some of the matchmaking sites are? Is it a placebo effect or can the dating websites really align the stars for you?

Relationships are typically based on two things; compatibility and attraction, with most giving those two factors a different priority, but some might have other motives.

It sort of seems odd that answering about 100 questions can provide enough insight to suggest the right one, but I suppose its possible with the right questions, maybe?

Here’s a list of the questions from eHarmony found online;

1. Besides love, what one trait have you noticed in couples that have maintained a successful relationship for many years?

2. Looking back on your life, of what are you most proud?

3. Describe some personal habits that are important to you.

4. Describe an interest you have that you would truly hope your partner could share with you.

5. What is the one dream for your life you most look forward to having come true?

6. In general, how many nights a week do you go out for entertainment? What sorts of things do you like to do when you go out on the town?

7. If you had three wishes, what would they be?

8. During a typical week, what sort of physical activities do you enjoy?

9. What is the most adventuresome thing you’ve done in the past year?

10. How big is your extended family? What are the holidays like for you and your family?

11. What is the most spontaneous thing you have ever done?

12. How important is it to you that your partner fulfill traditional gender roles? Would you like a woman who will cook, shop and keep house? Would you like a man who maintains the cars, manages the finances, and is handy around the house?

13. What do you most like to do on a day off?

14. What is one thing you could start doing today that would most improve the quality of your life?

15. When do you feel most afraid?

16. If you could accomplish only one thing during the rest of your life, what would it be?

17. They say life is about simple pleasures, what is your simplest pleasure, and how does it make you feel?

18. What do you find physically attractive?

19. Describe your own personal style.

20. Tonight you can do anything you want, no penalties, no reprisals, and the cost is unimportant. What are you going to do?

21. How would you spend a romantic evening with someone you have been dating for more than one year?

22. Looking back at your life, describe one particular event that you wish you had handled differently.

23. What do you think are the three best traits you have to offer a partner?

24. Does life look good to you right now? Describe your current emotional health.

25. Tell me about your closest friend. How long have you known him/her; and what do you like best about him/her?

26. Describe your spirituality.

27. What are your general feelings about money and personal wealth?

28. Describe your parents’ relationship with each other.

29. How would you describe your childhood relationship with your mother and/or father?

30. What are you looking for in a relationship partner?

31. What are your political beliefs?

32. Do you have any pets? Which types of animals do you love to be around?

33. Why did you join eHarmony?

34. Are you doing what you love? If not, what would you rather be doing?

35. Describe your ideal man/woman.

36. How do you act when you’re angry?

37. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

38. What have you learned from past relationships?

39. What is the best thing an ex could say about you?

40. If you could do something totally out of character and remain anonymous what would you do?

41. If they were making a movie about your life, what would it be called and which actor would play you?

42. Describe the worst date you’ve ever been on.

It’s actually a site which works with other dating sites, like Match, eHarmony, PlentyofFish, OKCupid, and others.

It’s called Weopia, at it provides virtual dating to let online daters get to know each other better. When we first read about it, we were blown away by the idea.

Weopia works like this; when you’ve met someone that interests you, you invite them on a virtual date. They say it allows you to get to know someone better, in less time, and those that use virtual dating are usually more happy with their new mate, and twice as likely to have a second date.

Sounds like a great way to find someone you might be compatible with.

Here’s a video showing what it’s like inside Weopia…

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, take this quizz to determine if your love is true. I think you fail if you start off with anything but answer a) in this first question…

1)  Your partner is returning after three days on a business trip and you: 

Answer the rest at : http://health.discovery.com/centers/loverelationships/quizzes/truelove.html

Expert opinions on love and compatibility, and the interaction between biology and behavior. 

by Hara Estroff Marano and Carlin Flora

We talked to a variety of experts who could be expected to provide insight into these key qualities. From family researchers to matchmakers, each has watched countless couples draw together and pull apart. And each suggested the same thing: We’re looking at love all wrong.

Compatibility does not hinge on some personal inventory of traits. Compatibility isn’t something you have. It’s something you make. It’s a process, one that you negotiate as you go along. Again and again. It’s a disposition, an attitude, a willingness to work.

And while we’re redefining compatibility, let’s banish its more combustible cousin, “chemistry,” that black box of a term too often invoked to denote the magic ingredient of a good relationship. Chemistry is an alluring concept, but much too frequently people use it to absolve themselves of the need to consciously examine their approach to one another. As if the muse of love will alight on their shoulder and sprinkle fairy dust on them, and then they will suddenly open their eyes and behold The Perfect Mate—without prying open their own heart, embracing an unwavering willingness to see the other in a positive light or doing the hard work of exploring, knowing and respecting another human being.

Love operates on many levels. It involves a dauntingly complex interplay of biology and behavior. But it operates best when we add a certain spirit, when we consciously shape our relationships through an attitude of goodwill. Here, experts weigh in:

See a very interesting and scientific article on chemistry and attribute matching for date selection by Hara Estroff Marano and Carlin Flora in Psychology Today.

USA TODAY — A USA Today analysis of Census records of Americans ages 45-55 shows that the percentage of those who said they had never been married in 2006 had doubled since 1990, and the percentage of those who were currently married had dropped by 9%. According to the most recent data from the federal Survey of Income and Program Participation, which includes marriage, 13% of those who wed in 2003 were 45 and older. Internet dating has largely made it possible for many of these later-life first marriages. Yahoo Personals reports a 33% increase from January 2006 to November 2007 among users ages 45 and over who say they have never been married. Match.com reports an increase of almost 10%.

The owners of several programs like these are often so confident in their company’s program that they’ll throw in a money-back, no-questions-asked guarantee—a clause they say is invoked less than 0.5 percent of the time. 

While there are obviously a lot cheaper ways to get laid, what these programs teach supposedly buys you a lifetime of beautiful women.

So what are they teaching? According to some dating instructors, they are teaching the “science of dating”, which is a focus on the process, not the outcome. This means the actual dating, so getting laid is up to you.

Lessons include more than prepping you for conversation. but might include how to meet girls in a club, at the airport, or how to plant the seeds of sex in her mind early in conversation.

It seems like a numbers game, with graduates of such dating seminars playing the odds. Most guys won’t approach more than 1 or 2 women in a nightclub, but if you hit on 20 girls in a night, the odds are that at least one will find you somewhat charming.

With a number of mind tricks and a little psychology under your belt, your chances are pretty good you’ll find a mate for the evening using some of the techniques taught by some of these pickup artists. What they are is a confidence builder, not to say anyone can’t do well with a little preparation.

But it seems that if you’re looking for true romance, this type of dating technique isn’t going to help find the love of your life. You might even regard this as an underhanded way of gaining more notches on the bed post, but have very little to do with actual love.

And the next step in online dating–”virtual dating”–is already being developed. Using special software developed by the M.I.T. Media Lab, researchers Frost, Ariely and Harvard University’s Michael I. Norton recently reported that people who had had a chance to interact with each other (by computer only) on a virtual tour of a museum subsequently had more successful face-to-face meetings than people who had viewed only profiles. One major bonus: virtual dating takes care of the safety concerns that prevent many people from meeting in person.