LONDON, 9th February 2015: A study conducted by match.com and influential psychologist, Professor Richard Wiseman, has shown that when it comes to the dating game, you really do make your own luck.
Study shows that you really do make your own luck in the dating game, as match.com encourages singles to take a chance this Friday 13th
Professor Wiseman’s experiment looked at how singles reacted to being handed a lucky charm at the start of a match.com singles event, which took place in Central London last week. Half of the event’s attendees were given a rose quartz stone or bracelet on their way into the event, with all attendees later asked to rate the success of their evening, with striking results.
Those who had been given a charm on their way into the event were 67% more likely to describe their night as successful than those who had not. Almost three quarters (73%) of those who had carried charms said they were more successful in meeting other singles than at similar events in the past, compared to just 40% of those who were charm-less: an increase of 83%. Professor Wiseman believes the study shows that any kind of charm or lucky symbol, from ‘lucky pants’ to a sentimental piece of jewellery, will help put singles in the right frame of mind to find love.
The experiment was commissioned by match.com to encourage more singles to ‘make their own luck’ this Friday 13th: a day it is billing as the single’s alternative to Valentine’s Day and marking with a large-scale singles night in Central London. Although just 30% of those who took part in the study said that they believed lucky charms actually worked, 80% of those given a stone said that they had felt lucky during the course of the evening, compared to just half (52%) of those who hadn’t. The results show that being in a lucky frame of mind can actually affect how outgoing singles are, and how willing they are to meet new people.
Professor Wiseman comments: “The aim of this study was to find out how daters can increase their chances of success by making tiny changes to their behaviour. What we’ve discovered is that even something as small and inconsequential as a quartz stone can have a huge effect on people’s behaviour by putting them in a more positive or ‘lucky’ frame of mind. Singles are more likely to mingle if they feel lucky – in short, when it comes to the dating game, you really do make your own luck!”
Wiseman continues: “Studies have consistently shown that lucky charms do work in a number of different areas of life, and dating is clearly no different. It may sound strange, but if you have a lucky charm then you really are more likely to make your own luck.”
A series of luck-themed match.com nights are taking place across the UK this week, culminating in an ultimate singles event at London’s Sway Bar on Friday 13th, which is expected to attract up to 500 single Londoners.
Kate Taylor, dating and relationship expert at match.com, comments: “There is no reason to feel despondent if you’re single this Valentine’s Day. At match.com, we’ve always believed you have the power to change your love life, and these results show that that really is the case. So pull on your lucky pants, spruce yourself up with the aftershave that ‘never fails’ or strap on the bracelet your best friend gave you when you left school – it might just work!
Notes to editors:
Study conducted at a match.com night event on Wednesday 4th February 2015. 50 attendees were surveyed, 28 of whom had been handed a good luck charm, and 22 of whom had not.