“About Us” aka “Why Give a S***?” (just kidding)
We’re dedicated to two groups of people:
Scientists – for creating fascinating research in a mostly obscure environment for relatively low-pay and very little recognition. And, most of them love it – dedicating lifetimes to furthering the knowledge of the world. (too sappy?)
You – yes, you. Someone other than your mom needs to care for your well-being. And let’s face it, internet websites are 50% mediocre, 40% crap, and 10% excellent. In finance, romance, and science categories, these numbers are even more diluted towards crap.
Why did I choose the dating aspect of science?
Did you know there are studies out there that tell you about:
- The role of your voice in attraction.
- How a fear-response can be turned “mistakingly” into an attraction response.
- How 8% of male sheep show homosexual behavior (not related to dating, I know, but interesting all the same).
- Why some people are more prone to cheating because of gene receptors in their brain.
“Amazing knowledge that will forever alter my life,” you’re saying. “How can this be?”
That’s what I said. And that’s why I’m here.
Lucky for us, there are thousands of similar studies just like these – dissecting what it means to be human (or an animal for that matter).
NOW, that being said, reading a science paper for the average person is about as entertaining as watching The Notebook for the 27th time (yes, I liked it the first 2 or 3 as well, I’m not heartless). Simply put: reading a science paper is not very pleasant.
So who am I?
I’m an avid science-lover and a learning connoisseur. Regarding science, my particular favorite areas are neuroscience, evolution and psychology (big surprise, right?). I graduated with a degree in biology, working within a neuroscience lab during college. Post-graduation, rather than opt for a PhD, I pursued several entrepreneurial endeavors, which, luckily, put food on the table. And here I am (I’ve recently tried to claim the title “Professional of Badassness,” but it didn’t stick).
The Science of Dating History
The Science of Dating’s predecessor was an email-based Dating Help site I started in college during my spare time with my roommate at the time. Although I had virtually no marketing skills at the time, we had about 10 customers in the 3 weeks we operated the site. We were profitable (barely), but I took the site down. Why? A combination of school and working in a research lab made answering with high-quality answers, very tough and time-consuming (I also had no intention of writing several 1,000-word emails on a daily basis, something I soon discovered). Plus my roommate was a lazy bastard who contributed next to nothing to the company, BUT he’s still my best friend (and still a lazy bastard).
“The Science of Dating” itself was born in 2008; it was supposed to be a question-and-answer site, but like lots of amateur entrepreneurs do, my new business partner and I, made it overly complex. It took up too much time and we ended up getting distracted with other, more imminent projects. Ah, the lessons of running your own business.
That’s not to say we didn’t have a high-point or two – I was interviewed by both e! and BusinessWeek’s Smallbiz magazine (although the latter wasn’t used in print because we weren’t in business long enough).
So, the venture gradually shifted under the rug, until in 2011, while working on another entrepreneurial business, I had an epiphany – I realized quite simply that I love science and it was a shame I wasn’t putting my scientific literature consumption to good use. Plus, by this time, I was already well-versed in the writings of entrepreneurial experts, such as Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Dan Kennedy, and an assortment of other talented individuals. So, I decided to start again and here we are.
Short, simple and quick for the new beta-site. And, believe me, I’ll be watching your user-behavior from behind the scenes (if you want to know what analytics I’ll be watching, read The Lean Startup).
Partner In Crime
Ben Munoz – Ben is a Stanford (and Northwestern) alum. He brings an MBA to the table that has never been used in the corporate setting. Clearly he thought that one out.
He’s mostly a silent-partner while we’re in beta-mode, BUT, in reality, he’s a very supportive business partner that has the persistence of a rock. Another project, Ben’s Friends, is a non-profit community support group for people with rare diseases. It has nearly 15,000 members.
Who is Sidney...