Separating Fact From Fiction: An Examination of Deceptive Self-Presentation in Online Dating Profiles

Nicole Ellison, an assistant professor in the Department of Telecommuncation, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University, gauged the difference between what people said in their dating profiles and the truth by comparing the profile information with that of the subject’s drivers license.

The study revealed that most people lie about at least one characteristic.

About 39 percent of the women and 52.6 percent of the men in the study lied about their height.  64.1 percent of the women lied about their weight. 13.1 percent of the women and 24.3 percent of the men  were dishonest about their age. 

Read the full study here: https://www.msu.edu/~nellison/toma_et_al_2008.pdf.

What the study did not mention is that many people post pictures in their dating profiles that don’t look much like they do now, in-person. Flattering angles, 5-10 or more year old pictures, and good lighting can make someone look a lot better in their photos than face-to-face. This, of course, is a bad idea because the people you meet will be disappointed every time. If you look the same or slightly better in-person than your profile pictures, your date will be much more likely to want a second date.

Have you ever met someone in-person from online who looked nothing like their pictures and, or lied in their dating profile? If so, how did you react? Did you mention it to the person?

Copyright (c) 2010 Stephen Petullo

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