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29th Jun 2017

Scientists have a theory about why Tinder isn’t helping you find love

Can't argue with science

Rory Cashin

It turns out dating apps probably aren’t being quite as helpful as many had hoped.

A recent scientific study revealed that – shock of shockers – just because someone has a great pic on their dating app, that does not automatically mean that they’re going to be a great match.

A group of people were shown photos of 10 strangers and asked to rank them in terms of attractiveness.

They were then given 10 minutes each in one-on-one time with the strangers and brought back to re-rank them in attractiveness.

Those who initially had a low-to-middling ranking saw a massive boost in their attractiveness afterwards. While those who had already ranked pretty high in attractiveness did not see a similar boost.

Turns out that being funny and charming has a massively positive effect on people you date, and just being beautiful isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Associate professor of communication studies Jeffrey Hall told the Mail Online:

“With Tinder and user-directed online dating services, people try to manage the vast number of profiles by picking the most attractive people. Several researchers have made the critique that that is not the best way to find a partner.”

So, there you have it. Looks aren’t everything, who knew?

Topics:

Tinder