What Makes People Swipe Right on Dating Apps?

Researchers William Chopik and Dr. David Johnson find that attractiveness and race of the potential partner pla a primary role in people's reason for swiping right. Additionally, these decisions are often made in less than a second. Pew //Research Center found that 1 in 10 American adults have been in long-term relationships with partners found online on dating apps, like Tinder, OKCupid and Match.com.

The research used data from two studies to measure how dating app users from different backgrounds interacted with available profiles.

The first study involved college students, while the second involved middle-aged adults, with an average of 35. Participants were asked to either view profiles of men or women, based on their dating preferences.

Findings showed that male participants swiped right more often than women. Individuals who perceive themselves to be more attractive were found to swipe left more often - proving to be choosy when picking potential partners.

Results also showed that users were substantially more likely to swipe right on users of the same race, and profiles of users of color were rejected more often than those of white users.

Chopik comments, "It's extremely eye-opening that people are willing to make decisions about whether or not they would like to get to another human being, in less than a second and based almost solely on the other person's looks.” "Also surprising was just how little everything beyond attractiveness and race mattered for swiping behavior - your personality didn't seem to matter, how open you were to hook-ups didn't matter, or even your style for how you approach relationships or if you were looking short- or long-term didn't matter,” he adds.

Chopik added that the profiles of Black users were rejected more often than white users, showing another way people of color face bias in everyday life.

Chopik’s current research focuses on how people using online dating apps respond to profiles which swipe right on them first. So far, findings show that people are more likely to swipe right on a profile that liked them first, even if the user is less attractive or the profile in general is less appealing, but the findings are yet to be finalized.

"We like people who like us," he said. "It makes sense that we want to connect with others who have shown an interest in us, even if they weren't initially a top choice."



Source-Medindia