(Last Updated on December 12, 2018 by Datezie Editors)
DNA has been around now for several decades, but until only recently it’s main use was to sniff out criminals and help solve crimes. In the last five years alone, we’ve seen more and more companies using DNA to determine far more than who done it. DNA is being used casually to help everyday individuals discover more about themselves, from their genetic predispositions to their ancestry, and more recently who they should date. We’re serious about that last one.
A new dating app called Pheramor is using DNA to measure the compatibility of two individuals based on a variety of considerations including their physical chemistry and social alignment, according to the company website. Sounds fishy, we agree, the app has science to back up their mission. Utilizing a handful of genes that are “proven” to influence who you are biologically attracted to, Pheramor is able to propose potential partners who you might be more inclined to like based on your genetics.
Pheramor has even based their formulations on a myriad of studies, one being the famous “Sweaty T-shirt Experiment” of the 90s, which had women smell and rate “sweaty” t-shirts of men and found that they were more attracted to scents of men whose genetics were more diverse to their own. This certainly gives more meaning to the relationship quote “opposites attract.”
It’s reassuring to know that Pheramor uses more than just your DNA to help you find your potential “perfect match.” They also sync your social accounts into the mix so that they can get a better taste for your personality and how it might fair well with potential suitors.
So what do you get when you sign up for Pheramor? Like most apps, the downloading portion is totally free. From there, you can immediately match with others based on your social data, but the DNA portion is what costs money. For $19.99 plus a monthly usership fee of $10, you get sent a DNA-testing kit, which you use just like other DNA-testing companies like 23andMe and Ancestry, by swapping your cheek for hundreds of DNA-determining cells that you send back for sequencing. From there, the company determines your DNA and combines it with the personality traits pulled from your social media accounts.
One interesting feature of the app that sets it apart from others, namely Tinder, is that it discourages mindless swiping. It does this by blurring photos of matches and only providing a score indicating your compatibility, from 0 to 100. This way, you’re not tempted by physical appearance first—you’re shown the score that indicates how well you’re likely to gel with them first.
Fascinating? Certainly. Useful in the world of dating and relationships? That’s yet to be determined. But if you’re going to give a myriad of other dating apps a try anyways, many of which match you based on little to know self-predicting data, Pheramor might be worth a shot!
