Suggest OddsHere's a Shocker: People Lie on their Online Dating Profiles
IStock Photo 11741706 © S.P. Rayner
I know, it's enough to shake your faith in humanity, but it's the cold truth. Singles routinely fudge their height, weight, and age.
Frequent online daters can also expect some surprises about income, education, number of children, and even marital status when they come face to face.
It seems only natural for people to buff up their images or inflate their stats to increase their appeal—who doesn't want to put their best features forward and de-emphasize their flaws? The anonymous nature of a profile on a dating site makes it easy to perfect that sharper image.
But is all lying equal? And who lies more, he or she?
It's no secret that men and women seek different qualities in a mate, at least on an instinctual level. Research confirms what observation has always told us: men look for women who appear youthful and physically attractive, while women seek men with high social status. Many of the lies we tell, like the fashions we wear, aim to increase our appeal correspondingly.
By one measure of mendacity, men and women are just about equal. When it comes to sensitivity about body size, the sexes give just about equal weight to weight, which is, perhaps not surprisingly, one of the most frequently fudged characteristics. The odds a female online dater will lie about her weight on her profile are 1 in 1.69 (59%) while the odds a man will do the same are a slightly more likely 1 in 1.65 (61%). Lying about weight is more common than having a job—the odds a person 16 or older is employed are 1 in 1.71 (58%).
Singles frequently misrepresent their height as well, and again in this case men are more likely than women to lie—1 in 1.81(55%) vs. 1 in 2.41 (42%). The same goes for age; only 1 in 7.58 women in the study lied about it, while nearly a quarter (1 in 4.12) of the men did, giving the lie to the common perception that women worry more than men about appearing youthful, at least online.
Lying about one’s profile is certainly widespread. In a recent study, fully 81% of participants lied about at least one characteristic. But the study also found most people on average stretched the truth only by small amounts, "adjusting" their weight only 5.5%, their height and age even less.
In any case, online dating veterans seem to regard dealing with dishonesty as part of the cost of "doing business" on dating sites. The odds an Internet user 18 or older believes online dating is a good way to meet people are 1 in 2.27, and Online Dating Magazine estimates that more than 20 million people visit at least one dating site every month. Bear in mind, though, that only a fraction of users are paying customers.
With all this activity, the big online dating sites have made some pretty impressive claims of success, like eHarmony's assertion of responsibility for 2% of marriages in the US. A variety of complicating factors make such claims hard to substantiate; many of them, for example, rely on self-reported data, which must always be regarded with some degree of skepticism.
But users of dating sites know that very well. After all, a profile is nothing but a collection of self-reported data—to be taken with a couple of grains of salt.
Comments (7)
I am 51 years old man and I will never hide my real existence for try to find a princes to try construct real love with her, and even I am orphan from little chilhood I do not stop to believe in true love who can be created just with woman and man but, if there not exist a princes for me, I can't judge God or people for do not give my chance for try to construct with her true love. I am ready and I was all the time to not be tired to love for ever because I learn what does mean existence of humankind on this ostile Universe and if people choose to not believe in construct real love it's with them to believe to live just in liar poesie and just pay taxes toghether's conditioned by this SYSTEM who stole from all peple real feelings to create energy and to feel live real life with love. Many friends tell me what I am looking for is not real I try to explain to me I will never find a princes for me with this aspect to see what happend arround me on this World. But with this all kindness from my friend's and with all advice's from you and from all of the World people I will never stop to believe and do not be tired to encourage my princes to believe in real love even for eternity because I will tell you something, in fact what are we going to do on our life's and on this Universe, to be just good for pay taxes and to be like Dinosaur's just another some kind of specie living conditionated by one System life or by one political System to serve them for pay TAXES? I said NO all the time when I feel people hide their pain with this fact. I know, I-m taken like jerk but never stop to believe in what does mean man and woman can be more like just pay taxes but they can give from their true love to this Universe most beatiful's sentiments and created the best ENERGY of material and imaterial Universe. Maybe, we humans, have just one life each, but I think it's not enough just simple live and die with out feel we can feel this empty Universe with our love our true love what does mean, a real existence for all thing's and for ever because our emotion's it's flours and existence of true Life in eternity. If I go to forward check your motive of existence life.
report abuseCrap, I just hated the online dating environment. Full of liars and women with more baggage than you can shake a stick at.
report abuseComing from a good looking guy's point of view, I can tell you it's more than a challenge to get a date with the over inflated sense of self attitude many women derive from 'living on the internet'.
If you're seeking quality: honestly go look elsewhere such as your friends or family acquaintances. If you're just seeking fun in the sun, sure you can likely find it on the internet.
Well of course people lie on their online dating profiles. It's mostly age and height with guys. There really is no need. Being comfortable in your own skin is far more attractive to women then you might think.
report abuseChristophe
http://www.internetdatingtipsformen.com
We have lots of dating tips on how to create a good profile. Visit http://www.girlmeetsguyonline.com
report abuseany data on the divorce rates for online marriages? higher/lower than general public?
report abuseWho needs online profiles...I lie about my height in real life! haha
report abuseI'm shocked. Shocked!
report abuseActually, very interesting psychology suggested here...