Online Dating
A study by researchers at Cornell University published in
Proceedings of Computer/Human Interaction in 2007 found that online daters usually lie about either their height or weight but less often misrepresent their age. Men systematically overestimated their height, while women more commonly underestimated their weight.
Jeffrey Hancock, an assistant professor of communication, doctoral student Catalina Toma, and Nicole Ellison, assistant professor at Michigan State University, examined four dating websites where users create their own profiles and initiate contact with others: Match.com, Yahoo Personals, American Singles and Webdate.
The study involved 80 volunteers, equal numbers of men and women, recruited in New York City through advertisements in the Village Voice and Craigslist.com. Researchers compared information provided in online profiles with measurements of height and weight and ages given on drivers' licenses. They found that about 52.6 per cent of men and 39 per cent of women lied about their height. Slightly more women lied about their weight (64.1 per cent) than did men (60.5 per cent). About one-quarter (24.3 per cent) of men misrepresented their age, compared with 13.1 per cent of women.
To be classified as a lie by researchers, the discrepancy had to be more than half an inch in height, more than five pounds in weight, and more than a year in age. The study found that a higher percentage of participants lied about their weight than their height or age; almost two-thirds had a discrepancy of five pounds or more.
Researchers comment that numerous studies have investigated different strategies used by men and women to find love. Men tend to seek young and physically attractive partners, while women look for the ability to provide as well as indicators of social status, such as level of education and career. Findings suggest that the frequent, relatively minor pattern of lying in online dating profiles has a strategic purpose.
Jeffrey Hancock commented:
"Participants balanced the tension between appearing as attractive as possible, while also being perceived as honest."
Researchers conclude that although online dating sites now focus on general body type rather than actual weight, the basic tension of trying to maximize attractiveness without being found out in a lie still applies.
