Even before you begin the unsolvable puzzle of online dating, there is an initial – deceptively easy – hurdle to overcome.
Namely, how do you upload pictures to your online profile which channel a sense of your inner self while keeping things light and fun?
And it seems everybody has a different approach to marketing their date-ability; from daredevils skydiving in exotic locations to ‘chilled out lads’ holding up a pint in their local.
Just like IRL dating, those first, instinctive impressions matter; no matter how many life affirming quotes you cram into your bio. Something as innocent as a horse riding pic could well see you kicked to the left quicker than you can say, ‘heyy u ok.’
Brand new research from world leading dating app Badoo – which examined 5,000 daters – has finally revealed those photographic details which dictate the way we swipe.
And it seems singletons are a very particular bunch. For women, the most right-swipe worthy profile pics were ones taken in the countryside, closely followed by ones including a dog.
However women-seeking-daters be warned: a photo of you with posing with an attractive woman or as part of a group where it isn’t clear which one you are are likely to get you dropped like a hot potato.
I get you want to look popular in front of a potential new crush, but come on girls, don’t be afraid to go for a confident solo pic!
And men are no less choosy when it comes to filtering out the absolute no-nos. Men are also really into windswept pics of their outdoorsy dream date out in the countryside.
However, they are also equally into a cheeky bikini/underwear clad photo. I imagine this is because they like a girl who is into her swimming. Am I right?
Interestingly, men and women aren’t so very different after all. Men also understandably detest group photos where it’s hard to pick out their prospective date.
Pictures with a handsome man are also likely to be a bucket of cold ice over a man’s swiping thumb.
Badoo’s in house dating expert Abbie Moujaes – a much needed angel if ever there was one – has made the following comment:
It’s interesting to see the drastic difference between what men and women want to see while swiping!
In light of these results we decided to conduct a test with a small pool of our users to see if changing/removing certain images would garner a higher response rate…
The results reflected those from the stats, men who removed shirtless images started receiving more matches as did women who deleted those dreaded ‘snapchat filter’ selfies!
Check out the breakdown of this all important research below:
What makes women swipe right:
A profile picture in the countryside – 30 per cent
A profile picture with a dog in it – 29 per cent
A profile picture showing tattoo/s – 18 per cent
A man with a beard – 18 per cent
A profile picture showing a car – 7 per cent
A photo of them with an attractive woman – 2 per cent
A profile photo taken in the gym – 8 per cent
What makes women swipe left:
A photo of them with an attractive woman – 54 per cent
Group photos in which it is hard to tell which is them – 49 per cent
Shirtless photos – 47 per cent
A profile photo taken in the gym – 37 per cent
A mirror selfie – 32 per cent
A profile picture showing a car – 29 per cent
A beard – 22 per cent
Posing with safari animals – 19 per cent
A profile photo/s showing tattoo/s – 19 per cent
What makes men swipe right:
A photo of them in their underwear or bikini – 33 per cent
A profile picture in the countryside – 33 per cent
A profile photo taken in the gym – 25 per cent
A mirror selfie – 21 per cent
A profile picture with a dog in it – 21 per cent
A profile picture showing tattoo/s – 14 per cent
A photo of them riding a horse – 12 per cent
A profile picture showing a car – 11 per cent
A photo of them with an attractive man – 8 per cent
What makes men swipe left:
Group photos in which it is hard to tell which is them – 40 per cent
A photo of them with an attractive man – 34 per cent
A photo of them taken with a filter (eg dog nose, ears etc) – 29 per cent
Lack of a full length photo – 21 per cent
A photo of them in their underwear – 20 per cent
A mirror selfie – 19 per cent
A profile picture showing a car – 15 per cent
A photo of their cat or dog – 14 per cent
A photo of them riding a horse – 12 per cent
Honestly, I have to say the complex relationship you develop with your dating app of choice may be more exhausting than actually being in a real relationship…
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.