We live in a society where meeting on dating apps is the new norm. Apps are the easiest way to find a Friday night hook up, a new romance, or even some new friends. There is definitely an economy to this new mode of making connections.
Anyone who has ever dabbled in dating apps will know that certain elements on users' profiles tend to yield more responses. Sometimes the art of profile-crafting can seem or appear rather formulaic, even demoralizingly superficial.
New data unfortunately supports these assumptions. AskMen, a site that caters to masculine interests, surveyed 1,045 "guys" (presumably people that self-identify as men) to explore what actually makes them swipe right.
In the words of AskMen, "despite the hope that it’s something other than looks … we live in a superficial world where appearances seem to rule over all."
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TLDR: 34% of respondents to an AskMen survey said appearance in a profile picture is the most important determining factor when considering a match. Match occupation and level of bio detail are also important elements.
When asked "what makes you say yes (or no) to a match?" a whopping 34% of respondents answered, "how they look in their pictures."
Match occupation (16%), level of bio detail (16%), and age (12%) followed looks in order of importance. Location (12%) and ethnicity (9%) were the least important determining factors to the participants of the survey.
Other criteria that mattered to at least some people include spelling & grammar, personality, and, tragically, "how willing they might be to settle for me."
AskMen cites other studies that show how important profile photos are to dating app users: "the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, discovered that giving an authentic, cheesy smile may seem unappealing to you, but in reality, leaves you looking like a real, happy person to be around."
Profile photos that feature more than just faces also tend to be more successful.
@okcupidThe AskMen survey does not distinguish between sexual preferences, so these criteria come from men across the spectrum of sexual orientation.
Whether the results of this poll encourage you to refresh your profile or disgust you enough to abandon dating apps altogether, they do provide some important insight.
Read the full AskMen report here.
