Is there anything more frustrating than online dating? Reading through someone’s profile, trying to decide if you’ll like them, the negotiations involved in meeting up for the first time... It can be extremely disheartening, which is why it isn’t surprising that two researchers decided to look into the science behind why some people get more dates than others on online sites.
One of the most popular dating apps available right now, Tindr, gives you the opportunity to check out other users in your area, swipe right if you like them and send a message. It uses Facebook profiles to gather information on its users, such as gaining access to their pictures or their listed interests and then presents you with possible matches based on these interests. It currently has 22 to 24 million users and is available in 24 languages. It is estimated that by 2016 Tindr will break the 50 million user mark.
OkCupid is another major dating site that people utilize. The main feature of OkCupid is that it allows you to answer questions about your views and then you get matched with people whose views align with your own. As of 2010, it featured 3.5 million users.
Sameer Chaudry, an internist at the University of North Texas and Khalid Khan, a professor at Bart’s and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, investigated the reasons why people on online dating sites are attracted to other users. Their goal was to find a way for people to maximize their online dating experience.
First they went through databases of old studies, including PsychInfo, PubMed and Embase. In total they found 3,938 different studies, which they ended up narrowing down to 54. They found 32 other studies through citations. They then utilized a meta-analysis on them to see if they could find a few key messages that were present in almost all of the studies.
They found that there are several main things to focus on when dating online. First, user names. They discovered that attractive usernames are more likely to be attractive to other people than unattractive ones. For example, “Bugg” is less likely to get messages from other people when compared to “Fun2bwith.” Men look for usernames that suggest physical attractiveness while women look for usernames that suggest intelligence. However, both genders are more likely to be interested in usernames that are closer to the beginning of the alphabet, since members are often presented alphabetically and people lose interest in getting to the bottom of the pile.
Photos are also extremely important. The researchers found that people are more attracted to those who have genuine smiles in their photos as well as people who tilt their heads slightly. Women are apparently more attractive to men when they wear red in a photo. Also more attractive are those who put up photos of themselves in a group having a good time. The researchers also suggest that you try to pick photos where you are in the center of the shot or touching another person.
The researchers also suggest sending a short but inviting first message as well as being open when engaging with someone electronically. Also, responding quickly when sending messages electronically is not a turn-off they found.
Lastly, they discovered that a profile should be 70 percent about the person and 30 percent about what they are looking for in a potential partner. This ratio is apparently the most likeable combination for other people. Also, when focusing on your character traits, you should focus less on academic achievements and more on what makes you likeable.
Online dating can be complicated, but following a few simple guidelines when selecting pictures and writing your profile can apparently make a huge difference.
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