‘Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.’ These are the words of Shakespeare, generally considered a genius of literature and a connoisseur of the wonderful world of love. So if love unsought really is better, why are an estimated 1 in 2 people in the UK signing up to dating websites?

Dr Victoria Lukats, psychiatrist and dating expert for PARSHIP.co.uk, understands how the old saying ‘love will come when least expected’ is no longer a viable reality for us when our lives are dominated by work. So, you know that reoccuring fantasy you have of bumping into a buff, professional, Brad Pitt look-alike in your local supermarket and locking eyes as you fumble over spilt groceries? Well, it may be worth substituting that fantasy with a subscription to eharmony. Because in a study of 11,000 people by Match.com, stats showed that after meeting your hubby at work/school (36%), or through a friend/family member (26%), you’re most likely to meet ‘the other half’ online (17%).

And even if you haven’t signed up to a website specifically for dating (match.com for example), how many of you can say, hand-on-heart, that you havent stalked a crush on facebook/twitter/myspace. The truth is, technology has changed the way we socialise. Asking round the office, 2 out of 4 of us admitted to dating someone who we previously had pursued (stalked) on facebook. The other 2 of us had stalked, but not successfuly dated. So 100% of us have used online resources for our romantic ‘research’.

On a bigger scale, in 2007 alone, 7.8 million UK singles signed up to a dating website hoping to find love. Men are dominating the cyber-dating stakes with over half of British men (52%) searching for love online. Women are not far behind, with just under half of British women (48%) actively seeking for the one.

Are we working against the law of nature in finding our soulmate on the net? Or is analysing a person’s profile a successful way of finding a romantic partner?