4 Recent Studies That Give KILLER Online Dating Advice

It took me over a year to find the right person (shout out to Stacie Pink!) online. Online dating is like any other kind of dating. It takes time, and some savvy. Just add magic.

Fortunately, science has begun to catch up with this “new” dating phenomenon. Take note of these four studies which can actually help your online quest for Mr./Ms. Right:

1. Words are powerful.

Professor Khalid Khan with Queen Mary University in London analyzed more than 80 studies in an effort to discover how to maximize wording in our online profiles. He found that men responded positively to words like “fun”, “blondie” and “cutie”. This is where I sigh and hang my head at my vacuous gender.

Showing yet again that the fairer sex are the more evolved among us, women responded to words like “cultured”, and generally looked for profiles which indicated intelligence, bravery and subtle humor.

Both sexes responded well to genial optimism. Negativity of all kinds, especially romantic negativity, is a bad idea. Words like “little” and “bug” indicated as “turn-off” words.

2. If you want love, tell the world.

Researchers studied 1.2 million people on the Plenty of Fish dating website, and they found something to warm the hearts of earnest seekers of love everywhere. Contrary to that whole, “you have to play the game” nonsense, they found users who used the word “love” in their profile were more likely to find it.

3. Don’t be discouraged by the “experts.”

One of the most popular dating sites in the U.S promises better matches through an algorithm which pairs people based on shared interests.

If you’ve tried it with little success, don’t be discouraged. According to a study by the Psychological Science in the Public Interest, the idea that two strangers can be expertly matched this way is nonsense.

According to the study author Eli Finkel, the odds are no better than meeting a stranger at a bar.  So, if it hasn’t worked for you, don’t give up on love. Just quit giving those people your money.

4. If you’re a woman who uses dating apps, it’s a buyer’s market.

According to a February study of 90 million seekers of app-based romance worldwide, 62% of users were men.

If you’re a woman seeking a screen-wiping spark, be as selective as you want. The numbers say that the market is on your side.

Blue Sullivan is the (very-fortunate) boyfriend of a wonderful woman, and author of the recently released self-help book, Your Ex-Boyfriend Will Hate This, available here via Amazon.