Commenting on FirstDate, SMU Professor of Psychology Norman Li said that the platform, which matches participants to one partner at a time, can be effective for those serious about finding love. He noted that people are overwhelmed with perceived choices and have standards that are too high for the market to clear, partly due to constant exposure to celebrities and dating app choices. However, he noted that the agency faces the challenge of getting enough sign-ups to broaden the dating pool. Prof Li also said that FirstDate likely shared the government’s goals of boosting marriage rates and fertility, and predicted it would be more successful than its predecessors, Social Development Unit (SDU) and Social Development Network (SDN), as its systematic dating app was thoughtfully designed to create matches.
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