Older Americans Flirt With AARP Online Dating Service

Here's the plan: Find someone, get married, grow old together. But
what if you've done that, and suddenly you find yourself back at square one?
For those 50 and older, AARP is helping to find that special someone. "I
never expected to be single and 50," says Dina Mande of Santa Monica,
Calif., a frequent user of the site. Enter the AARP Dating site, powered by the
online dating engine How About We. It's a site where you say, "How about
we go to the beach?" and someone who thinks that's a great idea comes with
you on a date. Mande and thousands of other hopefuls have turned to AARP to
find their match. And with more than 37 million members, it's a concept many of
them have been waiting for. Sami Hassanyeh, AARP's chief digital officer, and
his team watch as older people use the online message boards to find each other
and start relationships. Hassanyeh says the idea of launching the dating site
came after seeing the results of a happiness study. "Your social circle
and social interactions really are directly correlated to your level of
happiness," Hassanyeh says. And when you're happy, studies show you stay
healthier longer.

Source/more: NPR