Facebook can predict when you’re about to get into a relationship

Facebook often undertakes data studies to coincide with current events, holidays, and pop cultural moments, but the site’s Valentine’s Day research results are particularly interesting. First off, Facebook says that San Francisco residents have the smallest chance of getting into a relationship among people in any of the 50 largest American cities. If you’re looking for love, Facebook says, your best bet is Colorado Springs, a city that boasts the largest probability of “relationship formation.” 

Facebook released new findings on Friday — Valentine’s Day — that hints when two people are about to change their status to “in a relationship.” In the three months (or about 100 days) before a couple updates their status to make their relationship Facebook official, the social network sees a steady increase in the number of timeline posts shared between the two. In fact, posting to each other’s pages will peak (1.67 posts) at 12 days before the relationships begin and when the update is officially made (“day 0”) posts typically start to decline. Facebook only looked at couples who declared an anniversary date — and not just changed their relationship status — between 04/11/2010 and 10/21/2013 and remained “single” 100 days before and “in a relationship” 100 days after that date. The findings are a part of a larger six-part series that looks at love.