Love 2.0

Time Magazine is one of the publications that I subscribe too. Unfortunately, my day is spent reading many newspapers to see what journalists are writing about and by the time (no pun intended) I get home I lack the motivation and energy to read anything else.

However, today was a little different. My intent was to come home and continue watching my online marathon of "Lost" season 1-3 to get ready for the return of "Lost" season 4 on January 31. But, that all changed when I saw this week's Time cover story, "The science of Romance."

Now I am not some shmupie sucker for romance, and I am not a big player in the game, but why we love and the act of engaging in romance intrigues me. Something about the science of human behavior and the explanations about why we act the way we do, stirs in internal cauldron of my curiosity.

Romance, like any other human behavior, is driven by instinct and requires its own visual, tactile, auditory, and neurochemical and olfactory processes necessary for successful communication.

How these processes work, affect, both positively and negatively, the way we communicate with the one that we are attempting to be romantic with and deliver respective outcomes.

Broken down to our simplest form of communication we use verbal and non-verbal cues to engage in flirting with the desired in hopes of fulfilling our romantic desires. Simple communicative gestures such as stance, a weak smile, scent and tone of voice are tactics used to communicate that you are single, ready to mingle and open to any possibilities.

What I found the most interesting about the articles within this week's "Time" issue was that romance has adopted Web 2.0. In particular, romance has adopted social networking. Since like eHarmony and Match.com offer social networkers a place to go that is focused on finding and delivering romance.

These sites have been around for a few years, but my prediction is that as more people adopt and accept the use of online social networks more people will engage and participate in such eDating communities. 

Some evidence I take from just looking at the amount of my friends that now belong to such services. In addition, during 2006 more sites were developed for this purpose with revenues reaching $649 million.

Let me know what you think of the article. It has some very interesting information.