Scientists Look at Online Dating
• Amorous Research
Psychologists study online dating profile data and learn that people, well, fib:
… although deception is “fairly common, the lies are of a very small magnitude.” On the other hand, she says that the shorter and heavier people are, the bigger the lies.
Everybody agrees about the importance of a photo in a profile. Here it is quantified:
… men’s profiles without photos draw one fourth the response of those with photos, and women’s profiles without photos draw only one sixth the response of those with photos.
Suggesting that women are more easily seduced by attractive language.
Pragmatic dishonesty mixed with the truth:
Many women are quite open about listing much younger ages, often stating in the text of their profiles that they have listed a younger age to make sure they turn up in searches.
Those online personality tests that dating services provide are bunk. But most people already realize that.
But the biggest problem with online testing is the “false negative problem.” A test that determines in advance whom you might meet and whom you will never meet necessarily fails to allow certain people to meet who would adore each other.