Oxford Abridged Short Talks

Joseph Walther describes the hyperpersonal model and its relevance to the study of online dating. 'Idealisation' of perception and presentation online can facilitate the selection process, but may have unforseen consequences when people eventually meet. In conversation with Nicole Ellison, Joseph Walther describes the hyperpersonal model and its relevance to the study of online dating. He explains how the 'idealisation' of both perception and presentation online can facilitate our natural processes of selection, but also suggests that the specific presentational affordances of computer mediated communication may have unforeseen (and likely troublesome) consequences when individuals finally meet.

Erina Lee discusses the importance of similarity between partners in terms of long-term relationship satisfaction. She discusses some compatibility dimensions that have been considered by eHarmony, as well as future directions for research. Erina Lee of eHarmony Labs discusses the importance of similarity between partners in the context of different kinds of online relationship. She explains how similarity is indelibly intertwined with long-term relationship satisfaction, and reveals the surprisingly high levels of cultural variation in the way that similarity can be constructed. She goes on to discuss some of the many dimensions of compatibility that have been considered by eHarmony, before giving her thoughts on future directions for research on matchmaking to the OII's own Bernie Hogan.

Platonic love? Plato's main text on love, the Symposium, takes a broad look at what love means, offering a serious yet humorous, poignant and flippant, literary philosophical discussion of the topic, with some famous but also surprising outcomes.

Theatre was a forum for early twentieth-century feminists to challenge romantic ideals of marriage, arguing against society blocking women's access to alternative professions. Did one playwright solve the problem of selling seats without selling out?

Dr Hogan explores values towards online dating, relating them to whether one's friends have dated online and whether social network software or online personals are responsible for the continued rise in popularity of online dating. This presentation will explore the many facets of online dating that have emerged from our recent Pan-European study of couples and relationships. In particular, we find that online dating is now a common part of the tool kit for those seeking a new relationship, regardless of country. We also find that while there are more young people meeting online, older singles appear to be far more active in finding a spouse or partner online.

In Swift's letters to his adored Stella, we see an elaborate combination of language and code to tease his reader but still communicate intimacy. The denial of full disclosure and the refusal to reveal all is part of the game of seduction.

Professor Robin Dunbar explores if there is a limit to the number of friends we can keep track of and explains the origin of "Dunbar's Number".

Professor Sunetra Gupta explains the surprising relationship between blood disorders and malaria in humans. Could two blood disorders ever be better than one? Part of the Oxford Abridged series of short talks.

Should we let slime moulds run our railways? Slime moulds can produce networks as efficient, cost-effective and resilient as railway networks designed by people, despite having no central control over what they build.

Sexual attraction and pheromones? Dr. Tristram Wyatt talks about pheromones and evolution in a short talk about the "Success of the smelliest". Recorded as part of an ongoing series of short lectures.