Those who practice online dating think that they know everything about it. However, there are many online dating facts that will be useful to know both for experienced online daters and novices.
Psychologists and sociologists are interested in this topic because it’s a relatively new way of building relationships. Many different pieces of research are being conducted in this field. Here is a list of interesting facts about online dating.
- Men and women like long messages
According to online dating statistics, messages that are longer than twits receive more responses than short letters. However, don’t go out of your way – very lengthy texts can be boring. So, be moderate in your writing.
- 81% of dating site users lie about their height, weight, and age in their profiles.
Women usually indicate the weight that is 3-5kg lesser than their real one. Men are more truthful in this relation – they extract 1-2kg. However, men like to add several centimeters to their real height. People rarely lie about their age.
- The word “love” mentioned in a profile increases the chances to find it.
One of the facts about online dating is that people who use the word love in their “about me” section are more successful in their searches. The words heart, children, romance, and relationship also help men in their search for love.
- Race and social status are important criteria.
While race is a factor in online dating, people usually want their potential partners to be of a mixed or the same as theirs race. But it doesn’t mean that people of different races are not interested in each other. Almost all heterosexual users of online dating sites exchange messages with people of different race. People of middle class receive more responses in comparison with working class.
- Matchmaking algorithms can’t predict compatibility.
A lot of dating sites feature some matchmaking algorithms for finding you perfect matches. According to American psychologists, it’s impossible to predict whether two people are compatible based on the commonality of interests only. In fact, some studies show that too many matches on these sites can lead to dissatisfaction.[1]
- A divorce rate among couples who met online is lower.
It requires further research, but so far the statistics are the following: couples who met online divorce in 6% of cases, while other couples part in 8% of cases. And you will definitely not want to get out of a marriage with a flawless woman from a slavic dating site!
- Attitude to online dating is still ambiguous.
Despite huge popularity of online dating sites, there is still criticism towards it. There is still a stereotype that those who look for love online are not able to meet and date people in real life. This is what facts about online dating say.
- People who didn’t impress you in online correspondence, will not rehabilitate on a real date.
Very often, an online chat goes not as smoothly as you’d like. But then you look at an attractive profile of your interlocutor and you give them a chance – you agree to go on a real-life date. As a rule, if you had some doubts about that person before, you’ll be disappointed after. If a person didn’t interest you during online chats, it’s unlikely to happen in real life.
- Politeness pays off
Being polite in your online dating correspondence boosts your chances for securing a date. If a man starts his message with greeting and asks to excuse him for bothering, a woman will reply to this message more willingly. Also, properly written messages, free from spelling and grammar mistakes, make you more successful in online communication.
- One-third of the dating site users never go out with those whom they meet online.
This is one of the negative facts about online dating. Still, it’s not so bad in comparison with 2005, when more than half of users didn’t meet with their online dates offline.
References
[1] https://news.wisc.edu/online-dating-study-shows-too-many-choices-can-lead-to-dissatisfaction/