Two years ago, brainstorming with a friend suggested some "Life Partner Criteria" that might form a useful semi-quantitative way to evaluate candidates for one's long-term affections — as well as a fun theme for discussion. Those dimensions, in roughly descending order of importance for the friend, included Intellect, Love of children, Sensitivity, Affection, Spirituality, Confidence, Altruism, Financial stability, Education, Interest in world events, "Chemistry", Humor, Physical activity, and Chivalry. Since then a few other characteristics have come to mind:

• Articulateness: the ability to express one's thoughts and emotions in words, art, or other media (... or is that included in sensitivity and intellect already?)
• Empathy: the ability to make accurate mental models of other people's mental states, and respond caringly (... does sensitivity again cover that?)
• Culture: knowledge of the finer arts as well as "popular culture", possibly as part of a cosmopolitan breadth of understanding (... which may partially overlap with "interest in world events")
• Equanimity: stability, patience, and balance (... maybe included in some aspects of "confidence")
• Insight: self-awareness, self-improvement, personal mastery (... though parts of this could be included in "spirituality")

Or perhaps more systematic structure is needed, to bring order to these personal parameters? The "Storyteller System", designed to generate characters for role-playing games, is a two-dimensional grid that might be worth exploring. In its original form the array seems rather arbitrary and contrived:

... but applied to the search for a Life Partner maybe it could make more sense, e.g.:

... perhaps worth further thought, in a nerdy-analytic party-game way?!

^z - 2016-06-02