Are You Smart Enough For This Dating Service?

Illustrated By Ly Ngo.These days, when we search for a mate online, we have a wide variety of criteria on which to base our choices. OKCupid, for example, allows you to search for guys and gals by height, body type, and even their answers to a wide range of questions (from "How many kids do you plan on having?" to "Wouldn't nuclear war be exciting?") There are already a number of dating services geared toward finding you a mate who's loaded. Now, a new service promises to do for intelligence what Seeking Arrangement did for bank statements: Match.com is teaming up with Mensa to "connect the most intelligent singles in the U.S."



The companies are collaborating on MensaMatch.com, a dating service exclusively for Mensa members. Theoretically, Mensans will be able to search for and interact with other Mensans. They'll also be able to seek out Match users who have Mensa badges on their profiles, indicating that they're interested in dating a Mensa member.



For those who don't know, Mensa is an elite group of super-smart individuals; prospective members must score in the top two percent on specific intelligence tests. (Incidentally, if you'd like to try your luck, the companies are offering the test at a special promotional rate of $1 through July 6.)



Why date a Mensa member? According to Amarnath Thombre, president of Match.com, "80% of singles rate intelligence as one of the most important factors when looking for a partner, finally proving that brainpower is the ultimate aphrodisiac." Admittedly, for those who are a little tired of receiving messages to the effect of, "Hi :) Ur pretty, what r u into??" it might be tempting to turn to a potentially brighter dating pool. However, I'd like to point out that dating someone who carries a card in their wallet that says they're more "intelligent" than 98% of Americans probably comes with its own set of challenges. Maybe the sweet spot lies somewhere in between the two? If only there were a search filter for that.

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