A survey of 1,000 American dating app users revealed that first impressions are key. According to its results, almost a quarter of respondents stated that they spend just 31 to 60 seconds assessing another user’s profile.
Meanwhile, 21% felt one to two minutes was more their speed, and 20% believed it takes them more than five minutes.
However, just 12% of people reported being able to decide to match or not to match in less than 30 seconds.
The study also discovered that women are more likely to share screenshots of their matches’ profiles with friends, with more than half (51%) admitting to it, while just 44% of men claimed they had done the same.
From a generational standpoint, 62% of Gen Z respondents admitted to doing this. By comparison, only 32% of Baby Boomers had shared profiles that caught their eye.
So, given the fact that people have about two minutes to impress someone with their dating profile, what are the biggest “icks” to avoid?
When asked which qualities in a dating profile would make users less likely to match with someone, the top factors were negativity or bitterness in their bio (70%) and overly edited or filtered pictures (63%).
Placing too much emphasis on material possessions was also a major turn-off (62%), followed by a lack of effort put into the profile (60%) and poor grammar and spelling (60%).
On the flip side, the top dating profile attribute that makes a person more likely to match with someone is having a good sense of humor (82%).
Having hobbies, interests, or pastimes was also a major plus (80%), as was portraying a good sense of style.
Also scoring highly were showing an interest in travel (71%) and featuring a pet in a photo (65%).
“Many sites use algorithms to help select matches for you. While these can certainly help in presenting you with, and connecting you to people similar to you, they cannot predict relationship longevity or success,” says Marisa T. Cohen, Ph.D., a psychology professor, relationship researcher, and author of From First Kiss to Forever: A Scientific Approach to Love.
“My best advice for online dating is to relax and enjoy the process (yes, easier said than done, I know),” Cohen adds.
“Approaching each date as the ‘be all end all’ can be problematic. Even if we answer all of the quizzes, trust in the algorithms, and get to know a person ... prior to meeting, there is something above and beyond what the numbers and email/text exchanges can predict that occurs when two people meet and interact with one another.”
