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from the I-was-using-the-wrong-colour-all-along dept.
Rachel Nuwer writes in the New York Times that Dr. Sameer Chaudhry’s online dating persona was garnering no response from the women he reached out to so he synthesized 86 literature studies on the subject of online dating in the fields of psychology, sociology, and computer, behavioral, and neurocognitive sciences.in hopes of improving his odds. As it turns out, success begins with picking a user name. While men are drawn to names linked to physical traits (e.g., Cutie), the researchers found, women prefer ones that indicate intelligence (e.g., Cultured). Both sexes respond well to playful names (e.g. Fun2bwith) and shy away from ones with negative connotations (e.g., Bugg).
User names that begin with letters from the first half of the alphabet do better than those from the latter half. “As human beings, we have a tendency to give things at the top of a pile more value,” says Khan. As for your profile photo, pick a photo with a genuine smile, one that crinkles the eyes, and with a slight head tilt (it’s linked to attractiveness). And if you’re looking for a male partner, go for that photo of you in siren red—a color that enhances men's attraction to women.
"For those attracted to browse into the profile, a description of personal traits increased likeability when it: showed who the dater was and what they were looking for in a 70:30 ratio; stayed close to reality; and employed simple language with humor added. Invitations were most successful in obtaining a response from the potential date when they: were short personalized messages addressing a trait in their profile; rhymed with their screen name or headline message; and extended genuine compliments." And finally, don't wait too long before arranging a face to face meeting.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 22 2015, @04:54PM
I'm the last person on the planet to say anything about dating, but ... this is a great example of why people don't take social science seriously or think it is real science. The advice is to wear red and change your name to Aaron Aardsma so you show up first? And don't wait to meet someone? That's all they could come up with? Is this a parody article? Was The Onion involved? Otherwise, we should consider deleting everything that's ever been published in "the fields of psychology, sociology, and computer, behavioral, and neurocognitive sciences" for the betterment of the human race.
And, hey, I use simple language and add humor, and all I get is -1 moderation. But at least my online handle doesn't have negative connot--oh, wait.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 22 2015, @05:43PM
Early letter names do have a lot of advantages. I remember teachers in my youth who's seating chart was front to back alphabetical by last name. So anyone with late letter last names ends up in the back of the class more often. Same thing with class projects. Early letter kids end up presenting on day one all the time, so they don't have the opportunity to procrastinate. This can has an effect on performance expectations at an early age. Call it what you will, but cultural adaptations to syntax does create bias, in a number of ways.
Really anyone thinking of having kids would do well to change their last name to: "1A". You fill out one piece of paper, and insure that your kid is chosen first with higher frequency over the entire span of their life? It is a bargain by any measure.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 22 2015, @06:33PM
Sometimes the best we mere mortals can do is increase the odds oh so slightly. A science that can do that is certainly better than floundering in ignorance.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 23 2015, @08:55AM
One way to recognize real science is the authors stick to what their results show and don't exaggerate the worth of their findings. If social science is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of other fields to choose. Try to be more positive, people respond better to that.