The algorithm developed by a Cornell University professor and a senior Facebook engineer takes advantage of a new metric system called "disperson," which looks at connections between people who have different sets of friends.
Researchers say close friends are likely to share a lot of friends in common, which social scientists call "embeddedness".
The researchers used multiple sets of anonymous data, including a large data set from 1.3 million Facebook users.
They identified with 60 per cent accuracy who was dating whom, much better than the 2 per cent accuracy they'd get from random guessing, 'The Verge' reported.
Couples were 50 per cent more likely to break up in the next two months if the dispersion algorithm failed to guess that they were dating, the study found.
Resaerchers also looked at metrics such as how many times a user viewed another person's profile, attendance at the same events, and messages sent.
Dispersion turned out to be the most overall accurate metric for determining romantic relationships.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
