Original and thoughtful dating profiles are ‘more attractive’, study finds

People with creative profiles were perceived to be more intelligent, funny and attractive

Online dating profiles that appear to be genuine, thoughtful and original attract more potential suitors, a study suggests.

So-called “personality traits” commonly flaunted on dating apps include being repulsed or enamoured with pineapples on pizza, being bad at replying to texts, and a love for travel.

A study of 1,234 online dating platform users found that profiles which deferred from such topics and displayed originality were better received in aspects of intelligence, sense of humour and attractiveness.

As a result, the likelihood of someone wanting to go on a date with the user increased.

Previous research has suggested a link between originality in poetry and songs and the popularity of these works.

Researchers at the Tilburg University in the Netherlands investigated whether this could be applied to human relationships, and if perceived originality informs people’s impressions of the writer.

Participants in the study, which is published in the Plos One journal, were asked to rate 308 dating site profiles on personality and attractiveness.

“An online dating profile text considered original boosts personality and attractiveness evaluations,” authors of the study said.

The researchers also analysed dating profiles to try and identify which features may contribute to a perceived notion of “originality”.

They found that text perceived as more original used stylistic features, such as metaphors. Additionally, more original profiles disclosed more concrete personal information.

Exeprts said the findings could also be translated to other real-life situations, such as job cover letters and advertisements.

Research from dating app Bumble, published last month, revealed the most popular dating trends of the past year. It found that almost half of singletons are looking to “reset” their dating lives.

Bumble identified an upward trend of “hardballing”, in which 59 per cent of people are being more upfront with potential partners about what they want from a relationship.

Additionally, around a third of daters have altered their priorities in the past year. Around 61 per cent said they now prioritise the emotional availability of a partner, while 23 per cent said they care less about physical appearances.