More people finding love online

BY ANTHONY O’REILLY

Email is replacing Cupid’s arrows.

According to the publication “Psychological Science in the Public Interest,” online dating is now the second most common way for people to meet their significant other.

“Online dating is definitely a new and much needed twist on relationships,” said Harry Reis, co-author of the study.

The study showed that 25 million unique users used online dating during a single month in 2011.

Christian Rudder, a spokesperson from the dating website OkCupid.com, said for their website Valentine’s Day is only slightly busier than the rest of the year. “New Year’s Day and the week after is much bigger for us,” he said. “We see about a 20 percent bump in January and about five percent on Valentine’s Day.”

One such user who found e-love was Queens resident Patricia Harris. At the suggestion of a friend, she visited PlentyofFish.com.

“I went on a few dates, talked to a few weirdos and was overall unimpressed with my findings,” she said.

Harris said her experience changed when she received a message from a user who had grown up in Massachusetts.

“Sports have always been a huge part of my life,” Harris, a Mets, Jets and Rangers fan, said. “The person sending me these messages was a Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins fan originally from Massachusetts…in all ways wrong.”

Despite supporting rivaling teams, Harris became friends with the user and after a courtship through emails and texts for nearly a year, they finally met. Today, they are married.

“Without this website I never would have met him,” she said. “Call us a success story, a miracle.”