OKCupid, a hugely successful free online dating site, did a statistical analysis of the success of different kinds of profile pictures. Their findings are quite surprising, and reading them is worth the time to anyone who wants to date successfully online.
Among the most surprising findings are that profile pictures needn't show your face, that girls should always flirt with the camera, and guys should always look away and not smile.
Implications - The traditional saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is extremely relevant in this case. At only one glance, these wistful wannabe lovers can either be shunned or accepted simply because of a profile picture. For anyone looking to improve their online dating statistics, this is the perfect site to gain a few tips.
What's Driving This Trend
- Optimized Profile Pictures
- Online dating platforms may see a trend towards users optimizing their profile pictures based on statistical data.
- Alternative Profile Pictures
- Users may experiment with alternative profile pictures that do not show their face based on the success of such pictures on dating platforms.
- Gender-based Profile Picture Strategies
- Gender-based strategies for profile pictures may become more prevalent as certain poses and expressions are found to perform better for either men or women.
Who This Affects Most
- Online Dating
- Online dating platforms may need to offer users advice on optimizing their profile pictures to differentiate themselves from competitors.
- Photography
- Photography businesses could potentially offer services targeted towards online daters looking to improve the quality of their profile pictures.
- Marketing Research
- Marketing research firms may see increased demand for studies on the impact of profile pictures on user engagement on online dating platforms.
