Turns out people who post shirtless selfies as part of their online dating profiles may be their own undoing when it comes to finding genuine connections, new research would indicate.
Data from a recent poll on The Dating Group members finds shirtless shots do way more harm than good for men trying to attract women on dating apps, and that on average, dudes displaying their naked torsos receive 25% fewer matches.
Perhaps most interesting, though, was the disconnect in perception of how these semi-nude shots read to members of the opposite sex. While 90% of men thought shirtless profile photos would help their chances of matching with someone new, 66% of women thought photos of this nature showed immaturity and a lack of self-awareness.
A whopping 76% of women said a shirtless photo would deter them from seriously dating a match, but 15% said they’d be open to a hookup.
The Dating Group owns a number of dating apps and sites, many of which are particularly popular in the US. Despite their findings, the poll conducted finds three in five men are still displaying shirtless pics on their profiles.
One in five women on the same apps had at least one bikini snap in profiles, but received 40% more matches for including a photo of this nature.
Meanwhile, LGTBQIA+ members on the dating apps surveyed were four times more likely to include shirtless or bikini photos.
Ultimately, it would depend on one’s intention behind the shirtless pic that would determine how successful it is for getting you what you want.
If the findings are to be believed, then men looking for a genuine, long-term relationship may wish to choose more sincere photos (with clothes on), while those after a good time — not a long time — may like to continue as they were.
One sure-fire way to increase matches on dating sites, however, is by including a picture of a dog in your display picture.
New research conducted by Bumble finds nearly 30% of users are proudly displaying the “dog” badge on their profiles, with more men adding the badge than women.
Further to this, over 130,000 Australian Bumble profiles were found to mention dogs at one point or another in profile bios. Whether they had one, wanted one, or wanted to find someone with one, the mention of dogs appears to be working for lovers online.