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Getty ImagesIn 2005 only 3% of Americans reported meeting their partners online. By 2007-09, the figure was 22% for heterosexual couples and 6% for same-sex couples. After meeting through friends, digital dating is the second most common way that couples find each other.

In an in-depth review of 400 studies and surveys on the subject of Internet dating, including the results of scientific algorithms on sites like eHarmony, PerfectMatch and Chemistry, researchers argue that online dating isn’t more effective than traditional dating for finding a happy relationship.

The authors also found that the sheer number of candidates that some sites provide their love-seeking singles — which can range from dozens to hundreds — can actually undermine the process of finding a suitable mate. The fact that candidates are screened via their profiles already sets up a judgmental, “shopping” mentality that can lead people to objectify their potential partners. Physical appearance and other intangible characteristics may certainly be part of the spark that brings two people together, but having to sift through hundreds of profiles may become overwhelming, forcing the looker to start making relationship decisions based on increasingly superficial and ultimately irrelevant criteria. via TIME

Study: Interracial marriage, acceptance growing CNN

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Credit: © Suprijono Suharjoto / Fotolia)Modern Linguistics

Text messaging used more often has a negative impact on an individuals linguistic ability to interpret and accept new words. Read on at Science Daily

Alcohol’s Impact on Different Brains

Using brain scans of two strains of mice drinking large amounts of alcohol, scientists determined that one one group of mice experienced serious shrinkage in some areas of the brain. Only those mice lacking a dopamine D2 receptor suffered alcohol-induced brain damage. Read on at Science Daily

‘It’ Girl Photographers

Hanneli Mustaparta is known for her personal style and her photos..Deidre Schoo for The New York TimesA growing pack of talented female photographers in the spotlight, writes NYTimes Style. “They are all the more remarkable for effortlessly working both sides of the camera. Impeccable dressers themselves, women like Candice Lake, Hanneli Mustaparta and Tamu McPherson are often photographed by their peers. In pursuing street-style stars, they have become nouveau celebrities in their own right.”