01:21 Concept development process video (actors: Bolor Amgalan, Balaban Andrei, Katie Berns, Sara Gajzler, Vanis Konadu, Maggie Liuwilson, Stephanie Pena, Oleg Tylybinskyy; filming: Christine Lew; editing: Bolor Amgalan; music: unknown)
Must Find The One
Does science aid or hinder our search for 'the one'?
a.k.a.
Does 'the one' exist?
A social experiment and a commentary on the scientific pursuit for a better romantic match
The ‘quantified self’ movement emerged promising improved self-awareness through selftracking. Moving beyond tracking one’s own heart rate for health reasons, the movement is also extending into the more intimate parts of our lives. Apps such as Spreadsheets and Kahnoodle gamify different aspects of a romantic relationship providing statistical feedback to the users for a more successful relationship, while the quality of a match on many dating sites solely depends on the strength of the algorithms the site employs. Additionally, science proposes a number of different ways of determining a successful relationship.
Through a social experiment considering myself the case study, I aim to provide a critical commentary on how science could help us find the right one but to what extent would one have to go to accomplish this with today’s technology and to find this person in real life. In order to accomplish this, I have begun to profile my most scientifically and statistically compatible match using population statistics and various scientific tests in collaboration with two geneticists, a marriage counsellor, a psychiatrist, a neuroscientist and a forensic artist. Are we going a little too far with our illusion of “the one”?
Me and my scientific match to date
Tests taken: (left) genetic compatibility test, (centre) emotional arousal test, psychological test, (right) facial composite sketch
Most compatible face visualisation & final morphing
% of influence factors in final face morphing:
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25% - emotional arousal test result (subconscious)
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25% - ideal face verbally described (conscious)
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50% - familiar face factor determined by morphing together faces of immediate family members
Neurogenetics, HLA genes and psychological test results were determined with generous help from Sara Seabrooke, CSO of Instant Chemistry, a relationship gene testing company based in Canada. Other advisers include Tamara Brown, CSO of GenePartner, Jacqueline Olds, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Heidi Kuivaniemi-Smith, a forensic artist, and Sharrona Pearl, a theorist of physiognomy from University of Pennsylvania.
Summary report on genetic findings
Summary report on psychological test findings
Summary report on the most compatible genes for Bolor Amgalan
Summary report of statistical compatibility
