An Evidence-Based Approach To Online Dating

HughPickens.com writes Rachel Nuwer writes in the NYT that Dr. Sameer Chaudhry's online dating persona was garnering no response from the women he reached out to so he synthesized 86 literature studies on the subject of online dating in the fields of psychology, sociology, and computer, behavioral, and neurocognitive sciences.in hopes of improving his odds. As it turns out, success begins with picking a user name. While men are drawn to names linked to physical traits (e.g., Cutie), the researchers found, women prefer ones that indicate intelligence (e.g., Cultured). Both sexes respond well to playful names (e.g. Fun2bwith) and shy away from ones with negative connotations (e.g., Bugg). User names that begin with letters from the first half of the alphabet do better than those from the latter half. "As human beings, we have a tendency to give things at the top of a pile more value," says Khan. As for your profile photo, pick a photo with a genuine smile, one that crinkles the eyes, and with a slight head tilt (it's linked to attractiveness). And if you're looking for a male partner, go for that photo of you in siren red—a color that enhances men's attraction to women. "For those attracted to browse into the profile, a description of personal traits increased likeability when it: showed who the dater was and what they were looking for in a 70:30 ratio; stayed close to reality; and employed simple language with humor added. Invitations were most successful in obtaining a response from the potential date when they: were short personalized messages addressing a trait in their profile; rhymed with their screen name or headline message; and extended genuine compliments." And finally, don't wait too long before arranging a face to face meeting.

Comments

Rule #1 for successful dating

[greg1104]

Do not spend your time synthesizing literature studies.

Instead of fixing his online dating profile,

[PerlPunk]

He should have just gone for an arranged marriage.

Re:Instead of fixing his online dating profile,

[fraxinus-tree]

Arranged marriage: worked for me. But failed for a lot more. So the online dating is not that bad - you can fail on your own.
Well, I had a dishonest advantage: My mother is a perfect offline dating service. She is a teacher in a high school. So she knows A LOT of young people very well and develops closer relations with clever ones.

Re:Instead of fixing his online dating profile,

[PopeRatzo]

Arranged marriage: worked for me. But failed for a lot more

I guess it matters who's doing the arranging. One of the happiest couples I know were an arranged marriage, but the parents who did the arranging were some extraordinary people with great sensitivity, understanding of their young people and remarkable wit.

I shudder to think who my mom would have arranged me with. Certainly not with the woman I've been married to for 27 years, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom, but she didn't know what I like in women. And my wife's parents certainly would never have chosen me.

Thank you

[ls671]

Thank you, Thank you.

I do not know how to thank you enough for this advice, I am going to make use of it from now on.

Re: Thank you

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you changing your nicknames to As671 ?

Re:Boring

[Anonymous Coward]

So *that's* why I'm still single!

Re:How do you confirm somebody's gender online?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure it's possible with current machine earning algorithms, but attempting a match without a computer is disasterous. For instance, I married a beautiful 23 y/o with an education and a good job and now 10 years later she's a 48 y/o crack whore. IDENTITY FRAUD IS SERIOUS. Keep your systems patched.

Re:What most people's filters really are

[Hognoxious]

There's more to looks than the face. Maybe it was the codpiece?