In the dating world, having too many options may leave you in the lonely hearts club.
British researchers analyzed speed dating to see if singles offered a wide variety of potential dates had a higher chance of meeting a partner. They didn’t.
Researchers found that the more choices people had in potential dates, the more likely they were to end up on their own, according to the study published Wednesday in the British journal Biology Letters.
Experts analyzed the romantic decisions made by nearly 4,000 men and women at 84 speed dating events in the U.K., where single people had three minutes to talk to dozens of potential suitors.
They found people faced with a wide variety of partners — with different interests, jobs and physical traits — were more likely to choose no one at all.
People were also more likely to find a date if their prospective partners were more alike.
When similar people were involved in events with nearly 50 single men and women attending, organizers found they received about 123 proposals from the singles, meaning they wanted a future date with someone they met at the event.
But when the speed dating sessions included a broad range of people, organizers only got about 88 proposals.
Alison Lenton, of the University of Edinborough who led the study, said too much choice might be overwhelming or confusing for people, and ultimately lead to no dates at all.
