The Average Profile Of An Online Dater Revealed, Including Height, Age And Diet
Revealed: The People Who Actually Use Online Dating
Rachel Moss— The Huffington Post UK
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If you're considering signing up for online dating there are a few questions that are bound to have crossed your mind.
Who actually uses online dating? Am I too old/too young? Do people lie on their profiles? Are online dating sites full of weirdos?
But thanks to statistics collected by one dating site, you can now learn about the average online dater without taking the profile plunge yourself.
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Dating site AYI.com, which has about 50,000 active UK members, has collated data from the self-reported information each member provides when signing up to tell us about the average UK user.
We are constantly told that online dating is now the norm, but, if you're young free and single you might be disappointed to hear that the average age of a man looking for love online is 44 while women average at 42-years-old.
It seems the younger generation are too busy swiping right to create a serious dating profile, so if you're a woman with a penchant for the younger man, you might want to consider downloading Tinder instead.
We've all heard an online dating horror story from a friend whose tall, dark and handsome match turned out to be a short troll-like being in the flesh. But according to these figures, the average height of a male online dater is 5'10".
Of course there might be some online daters out there with the build of Ryan Gosling, but, putting on our pessimistic hats, we can't but wonder if this stat is the result of a few porkie pies from the males signing up.
Women are down as being on average 5'4" and both men and women claimed that they have "about average" body types - whatever that's supposed to mean.
Along with falling into that narrow "up and down" no-no, cropping someone out results in less communication, according to eHarmony. And besides, you really should have at least one good picture of you on your own somewhere.
DO: Upload A Bunch Of Pictures(03 of18)
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Give the people what they want! And in this context, that means a variety of pictures, so that prospects can get a good sense of what you look like, what you're into and so on. (credit:Shutterstock)
DON'T: Snap From Afar(04 of18)
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Though you don't want to get too close, you also don't want your picture to be taken from far away — that can seem as though you're hiding something about your appearance. (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Show Your Left Side(05 of18)
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Real scientific research has gone into this one, so why not trust it? Apparently showing the left side of your face in pictures is more aesthetically pleasing, according to PsychCentral, and has the added bonus of showing more emotion. (credit:Shutterstock)
DON'T: Feature Shots Of Your Buddy(06 of18)
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Even if it's the most platonic of friendships, don't include a picture of yourself with a member of the opposite sex if you're looking for a heterosexual relationship. In general, keep pictures confined to shots of yourself. (credit:Shutterstock)
That same study showed that men prefer women who demonstrate happiness in their profile pictures, assumedly because it's associated with femininity and nurturing, and are least attracted to women showing pride. (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Get Outdoors(09 of18)
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Taking a picture outside allows for the flattering effect of natural sunlight on skin, notes eHarmony. Just be careful to avoid squinting into the sun, and opt for a sideways glance instead. (credit:Shutterstock)
DON'T: Be In A Costume(10 of18)
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As one eHarmony blogger pleads, even if you think it's a hilarious picture, don't put up a shot of your Halloween costume. Sure, you want someone who shares your sense of humour, but let them see what you look like first. (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Get Flirtatious With The Camera(11 of18)
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OkCupid found that, to their surprise, when women made a "flirty face" without smiling at the camera, it generated more new contacts in a month than any other expression. Flirting away from the camera, however, was the least favoured expression. (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Get Serious Away From The Camera(12 of18)
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For men on OkCupid, the most favoured expression was an unsmiling face that looked away from the camera — possibly, they theorized, because it gave an air of mystery. Flirting away from the camera, however, was also still a big no-no. (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Take A Selfie (If You're A Gal)(13 of18)
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The researchers seemed as surprised by this as us, but apparently, the selfie, duck face or MySpace photo was the biggest hit by OkCupid users in terms of context. Is it possible it is the most flattering angle? (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Grab An Animal (If You're A Guy)(14 of18)
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As for men, the favoured context for a headshot was one featuring a guy with an animal, whether a pet or even one at the zoo. Though this may not apply to everyone, as it was followed closely by ... (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Show Off Those Abs(15 of18)
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The second most popular context for men on OkCupid was showing off muscles — though the researchers are quick to point out that (a) obviously it's only guys who have them who would show them off, and (b) this becomes less attractive to women the older the guys are. (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Show Cleavage(16 of18)
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This isn't necessarily a surprising finding, but men really do prefer profiles of women who show cleavage. The interesting point? Unlike the muscle men, as women get older, if they show cleavage, they're more likely to be messaged. (credit:Shutterstock)
DO: Show Some Interests(17 of18)
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OkCupid found that as far as a picture leading to a conversation goes, the most likely ones start with a shot of someone doing something interesting. And it's not hard to figure out why — it gives the messager an easy opening. (credit:Shutterstock)
DON'T: Drink In Your Picture(18 of18)
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Is it because you seem young when you feature booze in your profile picture or that you don't have any other interests? The research didn't specify, but drinking in your shot was the least likely picture to generate an actual conversation. (credit:Shutterstock)
So what else do we know about these 40-somethings?
Men and women match quite similarly, with both choosing to drink "socially", exercise "once or twice per week", never smoke and having an average diet (not many vegetarians or fussy eaters here).
The differences arise when it comes to personal background and the desire for a family. The average man has never been married whereas women on the site are usually looking for a new relationship after going through a divorce.
Considering that the average women on the site has been married before, it is unsurprising that most female members have "multiple children", whereas the average man is not a parent. Most men on AYI state that they may consider having children someday but the women give a firm "no" regarding wanting more kids.
Career options listed by AYI range from administrator to civil servant, teacher to retired person, but interestingly the answer most given but users is "other profession". Could it be that the average internet dater is actually a MI5 spy? Or, perhaps more likely, are we as a nation unwilling to admit our profession online?
So, if you're looking for male in their 20s who works as a pilot and exercises five times a week, online dating may not be for you. But, if it's a partner in their 40s with an average job and average habits you're after, you may be in luck. That is, if the online daters analysed were telling the truth...