According to new research from Kennesaw State University, profile photos play a far bigger role in online dating than many people realize.
In a study published in Frontiers in Communication, Minhao Dai, associate professor in the School of Communication and Media at the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, examined how photo quality, visual richness, and photo “beautification” can lead to success on Tinder.
“Your picture is pretty much 75 percent of everything,” Dai commented on his findings. “You only have about 15 seconds to make an impression with five or so photos before someone swipes right or left, and your visuals speak for you before you can even get a chance to speak.”
This idea, Dai explained, is rooted in a communication theory known as the hyperpersonal model, which illustrates why impressions formed online can feel especially strong and sometimes misleading.
“In online dating, you have a very lean media environment,” Dai said. “There are no distractions, no opportunities to show your personality. The focus is on whatever you provide in the visual framing.”
For the study, Dai created several Tinder profiles for men and women that reflected different levels of media richness (number of photos), visual bluriness, and visual enhancement, such as applying a filter. Study participants then rated the profiles.
One of the study’s most striking findings was the way men’s and women’s profiles were evaluated differently. While beautified or filtered photos significantly improved how women’s profiles were perceived, they made little difference for men.
“There seems to be an expectation for women to look polished and attractive,” Dai said. “For men, that expectation doesn’t really apply.”
Based on the data he collected, Dai’s advice is straightforward: avoid blurry photos, use multiple, clear images, and take visuals seriously.
In another study, awaiting publication, Dai went a step further to examine the composition of profile photos.
“I asked my graduate students, and we came up with eight categories of photos that are most commonly seen on Tinder,” he said. “These included travel photos, photos with a pet, a mirror selfie, swimwear, a formal occasion like a wedding, and a partying photo.”
The study discovered that women viewing male profiles preferred pictures that they believed showed kindness and reliability. Photos featuring dogs or travel, for example, consistently performed well for men. However, responses to women’s photos focused heavily on physical appearance, which Dai said highlights how deeply gendered expectations shape online dating behavior.
When it comes to text, there’s a study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, where researchers analyzed online dating profiles and found that more than half of users emphasized their own desire to be known by a partner, while only one in five profiles mentioned wishing to know their potential partner.
So they got a group of participants and directed them to write dating profiles that either focused on being known or knowing the other partner. Ratings of these profiles by 250 other participants indicated that they preferred the dating profiles that emphasized a desire to get to know the other person.