The dating site okcupid.com published a fascinating study of their member profile pictures to validate and debunk what makes for an attractive profile picture, one that generates conversation and interest which is important if you’re on a dating site.
Some of the findings:
- Smile for the camera if you’re a girl. Guys do better if they look away, be the man of mystery.
- Despite what most think, the self-posed MySpace shot is the single most effective photo for women. The poor quality of the cellphone in mirror more than made up for my the sense of intimacy.
- Ab shots (“headless horsemen”) for men are successful in youth but fall off quickly as you get older when I suspect it gets kinda creepy in an ex-con way.
- Cleavage shots for women are always a hit and actually do more for older women than young.
This is a dating site and they measured effectiveness on number of conversations. People are looking for love here so they are going to emphasize certain things about them. Furthermore, there is no correlation to what is in their photo and what they write on their profile. I would love to see a similar study done on profile pics on a regular social networking site such as facebook or twitter.
What does your profile pic say about you?
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