On dating apps such as Tinder, Badoo, or Bumble, people often choose through a “visual filter.” A photo makes us dismiss one profile or pause on another. This model became popular because it is fast and easy to use, and it now dominates much of online dating.

But visual filtering can also create imbalance. Here is why:

— Women looking for a partner are often highly selective. When the most conventionally attractive men are visible to everyone, attention can concentrate on a small group: roughly 10% may receive far more attention while the rest receive much less.

— Men, despite the cliché that they choose only with their eyes, are often less selective in initial app behavior. Some like many profiles simply to maximize matches and decide whom to message later. As a result, attention is distributed differently.

— Goals also differ. Many women report looking for a serious relationship, yet concentrating attention on a small, highly sought-after group can produce frustration and the impression that no one wants commitment.

— Some highly sought-after users may enter relationships, but the abundance of options and continuous validation can make it harder to focus on one connection. For others, matches themselves become a quick source of dopamine.

Online dating creates real opportunities, but its algorithms are not perfect. On services built mainly around visual filtering, a happy outcome can feel more like luck than the expected result.

Imprinting is a phenomenon in which an image or impression formed during a sensitive period becomes deeply fixed and influences later life.

In partner choice, imprinting refers to an unconscious image shaped by people who were especially meaningful to us early in life. This is why attraction is sometimes discussed in relation to a parent or another important adult.

Imprinting is not simply visible resemblance. The underlying image is deeper: it must be brought out of the unconscious, interpreted, and made suitable for comparison.

For a long time, imprinting was discussed mainly in animal behavior. More recent work has explored its relevance to humans as well. Unison studies this idea and conducts its own research.

How Is Imprinting Connected to Online Dating?

Imprinting offers one possible explanation for why some people feel unusually relevant to us. Yet dating systems have rarely used it to explain attraction or improve matching.

Black Mirror: Hang the DJ

Unison is among the services trying to apply these ideas deliberately in everyday dating. Earlier products may have used related signals indirectly; for Unison, imprinting is a central concept. Our goal is to improve online introductions through deeper study and responsible experimentation.

Алгоритм запущен пока что в тестовом режиме и еще обучается, но уже сейчас знакомит людей по импринтам.