Chemistry.com Review

Is there only one match out there for each of us? Dr. Helen Fisher, Chemistry.com’s Chief Scientific Advisor, doesn’t think so. Dr. Fisher believes there are multiple people in the world who are compatible for each of us, but she thinks there is more to finding a person like that than searching for someone who has a big list of things in common with you. You’ve got to have chemistry—hence the name.

At first glance, the Chemistry.com website looks like just about every other online dating site, but look closer and you’ll see multiple references to Dr. Fisher. By clicking on these, you can find out more about Dr. Fisher’s connection with Chemistry.com, her research, and her methodology for online matchmaking.

Well, I’ve gone ahead and done that for you. It turns out that Dr. Fisher hasn’t just endorsed the site in return for plugging a book; she is actually quite involved with the direction Chemistry.com has taken. Dr. Fisher has designed many of the questions for Chemistry.com, not only taking into account the usual personality, interest, and demographic questions, but also questions involving genetics, hormones, and other physical characteristics.

You also have the opportunity to view videos of Dr. Fisher’s answers to frequently asked questions. I must say she comes across as a lot less nerdy than that Dr. Warren from eHarmony. But enough about her; let’s move on to the sign-up process.

Chemistry.com Sign-up

The sign-up process in one of the most in-depth ones out there, but you’ll probably find it fun and enlightening if your goal is to be matched up with people on more than just the simplest of criteria. If you’re looking for the basics, there are always sites like Date.com and Matchmaker.com.

You’ll be asked some unusual questions like these:

• Is your index finger shorter or longer than your ring finger?
• Which of these smiles are fakes?
• How do you feel when you see a public display of affection?

I don’t want to influence anyone’s possible answers by explaining what they can reveal about one’s personality, but I will say that these questions combined with the more traditional personality questions really hit the mark on assessing my personality. In fact, I had my fiancée take the test, and her resulting personality type matched the one that Chemistry.com says fits me best.

After you finish filling out your new profile, you’ll see that Chemistry.com has a link to your top five matches. Some of my top five matches didn’t sound too appealing to me, but maybe Dr. Fisher knows what’s best for me. The only way to know for sure would be to meet the matches in person. Of course, Great Expectations is the matchmaking service best known for doing that.

There is no search function. Chemistry.com picks your matches, and the only way to get more is to rate the ones they’ve already brought your way. That’s good for increasing the level of feedback, but it’s bad for control freaks. Also, the only way to do any of this is by first subscribing, and the costs are pretty steep, especially when there is no way to tell how many members are in your area. Costs range from $49.95 a month for one month down to $26.65 a month for six months. That is about twice the cost of Yahoo Personals and a little more than Perfectmatch.com’s price of admission.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, an online dating site like Chemistry.com best fits those of us a bit on the detail-oriented (some might say anal-retentive) side. People simply interested in a quick sign-up and search are less likely to join, increasing your odds of being matched with like-minded singles. Therefore, if you’re the type of person who lacks patience and planning regarding the online dating scene, Chemistry.com won’t be your bag. In fact, you probably couldn’t remain undistracted long enough to finish reading this Chemistry.com review. Hey, look at that colorful ad in the margin!