Online dating has become such a fixture in our lives that even academics are getting involved.
Much like the rest of us sorting through 7,000 selfies to select the profile pic that best portrays our complexities in .05 seconds, the scientific community wants answers to everyday questions like “What makes an online dater successful?” and “Do the same factors that make face-to-face relationships successful also apply in the online dating world?”
A new study published in Communication Monographs, the National Communication Association’s journal, dug in to assess how specific content in dating profiles affects a user’s impressions of potential matches.
The results: you’re probably doing it wrong.
Conventional wisdom would tell you to highlight your most desirable qualities; no one wants to hear about the cavity you need to tend to or that time you fell on the treadmill, right?
But the NCA study — which recorded impressions from 316 viewers on four sample dating profiles — found that users who boasted about their physique and accomplishments were deemed less trustworthy by other users. The authors of the study assert that individuals who underplay achievements “seem honest as well as approachable,” whereas those who self-aggrandize tend to turn potential suitors off.
So, way to go on that sixpack, and give yourself a big pat on the back for that promotion … but don’t put it in your profile.
In short: Don’t brag. Do self-deprecate. Be yourself. Get dates.
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