The life of a singleton can be incredibly hard when you take the plunge into the world of online dating.
Take it from someone such as myself, who has intentionally tried to sabotage every relationship he’s ever been in (please don’t ask why), the world of online dating can be soul-crushing as so much of the experience is based on appearance and aesthetics.
It’s probably much harder now thanks to a new study which claims the only way to truly be successful in the hellish dating pool is if you happen to be packing muscles, have a Viking-inspired sense of style and are fluent in Norwegian.
A few problems here, firstly, I am still at least five years off from hitting the Super Saiyan Dragon Ball Z levels which will make me look buffer than The Rock on chest day. Secondly, what is ‘Viking style’? Does it require me to wear Norse armour, don fur pelts and wield two-handed battle-axes? Do I need to look like I raid and pillage villages and farms?
I’ll tell you right now, I’m not sure I can do all of that. Although the opportunity to own my very own battle-axe is very appealing.
Thirdly, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but British people are generally bad at learning other languages, I’m not sure if it’s stemmed out of laziness or ignorance but a huge number British citizens are pretty shocking at it. Have you heard an Englishman’s attempt at broken French? It’s so bad it could unintentionally spark a diplomatic incident.
Furthermore, according to online dating app Plenty Of Fish (POF), if you’re; 6ft 2in, named Oli with brown hair, grey eyes, own a dog and earn somewhere between £75,000 and £100,000, you are more likely to get more female admirers than other men.
Which is bad for a 5’7, cat-owning journalist named Jerry who gets by on a fairly modest pay packet – which is nowhere near the range of £75,000 to £100,000 a year.
The study also claims; 5ft 3in women bearing the name Melissa, who are from Essex (really?), earning between £35,000 and £50,000 and can speak Russian, stand a better chance of receiving messages from men.
Also, those with brown eyes and blonde hair also hold most appeal among males.
These dating preferences were revealed by POF. They analysed more than one million profiles in the UK to identify the traits most likely to result in interest from users.
It also emerged women tend to seek men with a degree – whereas males opt for females who are educated to a secondary school level.
Shannon Smith, a spokeswoman for POF, said:
There is often a difference between what singles say they want, and their actual behaviour on our app.
For example, men are often teased in the pub for being broody or wanting kids, but it’s clear that this is a big goal for them just as much as it is for women.
Or that, despite a move towards cleaner living, a first date over a pint or a cocktail seems to be the most preferable.
The study also shows women consider a firefighter to be the most attractive job for men to have, while men tend to go for women who work in insurance. The study also revealed anyone with a pet will usually receive messages an average of 51 per cent faster than those who don’t.
Women aged 25 are of particular interest among men, while males aged 35 are especially appealing to females.
Melissa is the most popular female name, receiving the most replies on the app – with Beth, Katy and Amanda not far behind.
And Oli is the number one male name, followed by Jake, Robbie and Joshua.
The research also suggests both genders look for a date who wants to have children, as well as wanting someone who is very ambitious and owns a car.
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