eharmony Study Shows How Singles Make Key Dating App Decisions
A new experimental study by eharmony and cognitive psychologists at the Universities of Lincoln and Swansea is looking at how singles make key decisions on dating apps.
In the same sense as gambling apps, dating apps draw users in through eye-catching designs and stylish marketing, and then rely on them making impulsive decisions, such as swiping to like or ignore a potential match.
Initially, the 900 participants were presented with a series of basic dating profiles which were essentially just pictures of men and women with no further information. The study showed that it takes just one second to swipe left or right.
However, when the participants in the experiment were given less time to swipe, they found it hard to decide which way. This suggests human brains are wired to need at least one second to take in all the visual cues of a dating profile picture.
Concurrent research by the same team also found that the average single takes approximately 42 minutes to decide if they want a second date, once they’ve met up with a match in real life.
Dr Robin Kramer, cognitive psychologist at the University of Lincoln, said in a statement: “Cognitive psychology helps us to understand the human interactions going on around us every day.
“Our work with eharmony sheds light onto decisions made when it comes to dating and interacting with a new potential partner. Though nuanced, at the core the research suggests Brits like to make informed decisions – the more information they have – the better they can judge potential compatibility.”
The team then focused on other factors, beyond just pictures, that could further influence a swipe left or right. They found the biggest consideration for men is whether their prospective partner smokes or not, with 65% opting for non-smokers. For around two thirds of women (67%) the location of their match remains a priority.
Interestingly, findings show that the more information a single has on a prospective partner, the more likely they are to match. This mirrors previous eharmony platform data which demonstrates writing a profile between 200 and 250 words leads to 50% more messages.
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