Elizabeth Bruch, Fred Feinberg, and Kee Yeun Lee developed a statistical model of mate choice using detailed activity data from an online dating site. They analyzed millions of searching, screening, clicking, and contacting choices made by site users. Their work incorporates ideas from decision theory, marketing research, and cognitive science. Bruch says: “The social sciences are very intrigued by big data, but the same statistical models that have been used for survey and administrative data aren’t the right tools for it. There’s not a lot in the field that represents the underlying decision process.”

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