Aziz Ansari wrote a book on the topic of Modern Romance, exploring his parents arranged marriage versus the modern approach to dating and courtship. His parents have been happily married for 35 years, but he states that he is perpetually indecisive about even the most mundane things, and couldn’t imagine navigating such a huge life decision so quickly.

He asked his dad about this experience, and found out that his dad told his parents he was ready to get married, so his family arranged meetings with three neighboring families. The first girl was too tall, the second girl was too short, and his mom was just the right height. They talked for about 30 minutes, decided it would work, and a week later were married.

Aziz says he applies a lot more rigor to most of the decisions in his life — whether it’s where to eat, where to travel, or God forbid, something he is buying.  Face it, people in their 20s and 30s feel compelled to do a ton of research to make sure they’re looking at every option and making the best choice. Has this mentality pervaded our decision­ making in how we choose a romantic partner?

Aziz set out on a mission. He read dozens of studies about love, how people connect and why they do or don’t stay together. He quizzed the crowds at his stand-up comedy shows about their own love lives. People even let him into the private world of their phones to read their romantic texts aloud onstage.

What he found is that today’s generations are looking (exhaustively) for soul mates, whether they decide to hit the altar or not, and they have more opportunities than ever to find them. Thanks to the $2.4 billion online-­dating industry. Throw in the fact that people now get married later in life than ever before, turning their early 20s into a relentless hunt for more romantic options than previous generations could have ever imagined, and you have a recipe for romance gone haywire.

In the course of his research, he discovered something surprising: the winding road from the classifieds to matchmaking services to Tinder has taken an unexpected turn. Digital dating via apps might just be bringing us full circle, back to an old-fashioned version of courting that is closer to what his parents experienced than you might think.

Today, if you own a smartphone, you’re carrying a 24-7 singles bar in your pocket. About 38% of Americans who describe themselves as “single and looking” have used an online-­dating site, Baby boomers are just as likely as college kids to give online dating a whirl. Almost a quarter of online daters find a spouse or long-term partner that way. Never in history have we had as many romantic options as we have now.

Online dating services such as Match.com and eHarmony.com allow you to match prospective dates on interests and preferences. Is all the effort put into setting up and reading dating profiles really worth it? Research has found that despite the nuanced information people put on their profiles and say they are looking for, the factor they rely on most when preselecting a date is looks.

Mobile dating apps like Tinder take the labor-intensive profile work away and operate on a much simpler and quicker scale. As soon as you sign in, Tinder uses your GPS location to find nearby users and starts showing you pictures. You swipe right on their picture if you might be interested, left if you’re not. Once again, looks are the predominant factor in the swipe.

Despite all of the choice, for the first time in history, the typical American now spends more years single than married. The book Going Solo explains that instead, we experiment. Long-term cohabitation is on the rise. Living alone has skyrocketed almost everywhere, and in many major cities, nearly half of all households have just one resident. But marriage is not an altogether undesirable institution, just as people still desire to be in committed relationships.

So how do couples in an arranged marriage make it work? Aziz says people in arranged marriages start off lukewarm, but over time, they really invest in each other and in general have successful relationships. This may be because they bypass the most dangerous part of a relationship.

In the first stage of a relationship, you have passionate love, where you and your partner just go crazy for each other. Every smile makes your heart flutter. Every night is more magical than the last. Researchers say during this phase, your brain floods your neural synapses with dopamine, the same neurotransmitter that gets released when you do cocaine.

Like all drugs, though, this high wears off after about 12 to 18 months. At a certain point, the brain re-balances itself. In good relationships, as passionate love fades, companionate love arises to take its place. If passionate love is the cocaine of love, companionate love is like having a glass of wine.

Here at Cowboys 4 Angels, we have the looks part covered. Sometime clients select men for their education, travel experience or interests, but many select a companion based on looks. We like that we can be your high for whatever time period you select – hours, day, weekend, or week. And that elated feeling will stay with you long after your encounter, without any negative side effects. We are also happy to be your occasional glass of wine, giving you a sustained relaxed feeling. We have you covered either way!

To read Aziz Ansari’s full article, go here .