Epidemiologist Enlisted To Study What Works Best In Online Dating
Meta-analysis Gets
Much Media Attention
We
take every opportunity to report on novel uses of epidemiology. This
month, a truly novel application has been reported---using
epidemiology to figure out how to be more successful with online
dating. We take the unusual step here of reporting several
excerpts from the press release
from
Evidence Based Medicine
about the article titled “An
evidence-based approach to an ancient pursuit: systematic review on
converting online contact into a first date.”
Authors Confession
The
main author is Khalid Khan,
Professor of Women’s Health and Clinical Epidemiology at the Centre
for Primary Care and Public Health, Barts and The London School of
Medicine. Co-author is Sameer Chaudhry.
The authors in their
acknowledgements thanked “potential dates who turned down one of us [Chaudhry]
repeatedly, encouraging us to think about the effectiveness of online
dating.”
Methods
The
researchers wanted to find out what approaches would maximise the
chances of converting online contact between men and women into that
all-important first face to face meeting, using published research on
the art of attraction and persuasion. They therefore carried out an
extensive search of relevant studies in the fields of psychology and
sociology, as well as computer, behavioural, and neurocognitive
sciences. Out of almost 4000 studies, 86 met their inclusion criteria.
Screen Name Advice
The
study findings were pooled and synthesised to come up with a list of
do's and don’ts for online dating, from creating a profile to making
an approach. They found that the screen name chosen for an online
profile is important. The lovelorn should avoid names with negative
associations, such as ‘Little’ or ‘Bug’, and aim for something more
playful, such as ‘Fun2bwith’ as this type of name is universally
attractive.
And would-be daters should take gender into
consideration: men are more drawn to names that indicate physical
attractiveness, such as ’Blondie’ or ‘Cutie’ while women go for names
that signal intelligence, such as ‘Cultured.’
But it may be even more important to start a screen
name with a letter in the top half of the alphabet, say the
researchers. That’s because several measures of success, such as
educational attainment and income are linked to names higher up the
alphabet, added to which search engines sort names alphabetically. But
choose carefully, say the researchers, who recommend looking at the
profiles of other people you find attractive and using a similar
screen name to theirs.
Good Photos
It goes without saying that an attractive photo is
essential. But be sure to include one that features a genuine smile
that crinkles up the eyes, and possibly a tilt of the head….And women
seeking men should wear red as this is likely to boost the level of
interest, the evidence shows.
And
don’t stop at selfies. Group photos showing other people having a good
time in your company, preferably with you right in the middle of the
action and touching someone else—but only on the upper arm— will help
to convey, respectively, your friendliness, importance, and status.
Incidentally, women find a man more attractive when they see other
women smiling at him, say the researchers.
Headline Message
When it comes to the headline message, don’t use
complex language in the belief that it will make you look more
intelligent. It won’t. People are naturally drawn to words that are
easy to remember and pronounce, and ease of information processing
increases likeability, the analysis shows. “If you can get the
potential date to stop and think about your headline message,
increasing the exposure time to your primary photo, this will increase
their liking [of you],” point out the researchers.
Don’t Lie
And
steer clear of fiction in your profile: apart from anything else,
written information could come back to bite you, they warn. The
evidence shows that it’s best to provide a 70:30 ratio of who you are,
and what you are looking for. And bear in mind that likeability is
more attractive than academic achievement, and that a profile that
appears genuine is more likely to generate interest.
Humor
What traits are most attractive? Men are drawn to physical fitness in
women while women prefer bravery and risk-taking rather than kindness
and altruism in men. When it comes to another helpful ingredient,
humour, ‘show; don’t tell,’ is the advice. A wittily written profile
is likely to be far more successful than just saying that you have a
sense of humour, say the researchers.
Do’s and Don’ts
They go on to provide a list of helpful tips, which, the available
evidence suggests, could boost the chances of getting a first date.
Once interest has been piqued:
Do
personalize any email invitations to correspond online
Do
make it short and sweet
Don’t be afraid to use poetry, preferably rhyming with
the potential date’s headline
Once contact has been
made:
Do ask open questions
Do respond promptly: eagerness is not a turn-off
Don’t write screeds, but enough to indicate generosity
with time
Do introduce humour
Do disclose some personal information
Don’t sell yourself as a rare commodity that is worth having
If on a webcam:
Do smile
Do mimic body language
Don’t slouch
Do pay genuine compliments, but don’t flatter
Don’t portray yourself as perfect: it arouses suspicion
Do end every conversation on a positive note/with a
positive revelation about yourself And finally,
don’t leave it too long before arranging a face to face
meeting.
To
read the scholarly article in its entirety, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/p74xa44
■
|