The Science of Online Dating

54 million adults in the US are single, and 49 million of them have tried online dating.

A comprehensive literature review of scientific studies was conducted to identify science-based tips for improving online dating success.

Vanessa van Edwards is the author of Human Lie Detection and Body Language 101.

Understanding what research reveals about online dating can help people hack the system for better results.

Most successful daters use 70% of their profile to talk about themselves and 30% to talk about their ideal mate.

• Readers want to get to know you but also want to hear themselves reflected in your profile • This creates a deeper connection and more excitement for dates • Counterintuitively, it's more effective than only focusing on yourself

In a 10-sentence profile, seven sentences should be about you and three should describe what you're looking for in a partner.

When potential matches see their ideal traits and interests mentioned in your profile, they envision compatibility.

Social psychologists found that when choosing between an attractive but emotionally unavailable person and a regular-looking emotionally available person, people consistently choose emotional availability.

Emotional availability signals the potential for a deep, committed relationship where someone could eventually say 'I love you'.

• Mention that you want a long-term committed partner • Indicate you're looking for deep connections and shared activities • Express commitment to hobbies and meaningful time together

Most people are ultimately looking for love and want to feel emotionally connected, even if they don't explicitly state it.

Plenty of Fish analyzed 1.2 million profiles and found that using words like 'love,' 'romantic,' and 'heart' significantly increased clicks, swipes, and dates.

These emotionally charged words indicate emotional availability and suggest the person is capable of love and deep feeling.

• I love Sour Patch Kids • I love chocolate • Any genuine expression of passion for something you care about

Show your passions and what excites you, as this demonstrates emotional depth at a subconscious level to potential matches.

Your username is the second part of a first impression, typically seen right after your profile picture.

• Many dating websites list users in alphabetical order • People tend to browse from the beginning of the alphabet (A-C) • Using early alphabet letters increases visibility significantly

Choose traits that your ideal match would be attracted to: straight men typically use 'driven,' 'cultured,' and 'successful,' while straight women often use physical attributes like 'blonde,' 'dancer,' or 'tall'.

Pick a nickname (avoid your actual name), select early-alphabet words, and use adjectives that appeal to your target audience.

London School of Medicine research found that a smile combined with a head tilt is the most attractive body language pose for profile pictures.

An open-mouth, full smile is most effective, especially in a setting that genuinely makes you happy rather than in a photo studio or booth.

A head tilt communicates engagement and readiness to listen, which signals emotional availability to viewers.

This combination of genuine smile and head tilt conveys emotional availability, which is the most important factor in attracting compatible matches.

15 different science-based tips for online dating success have been compiled into a free online guide.

The guide is available for free on Vanessa van Edwards' website with all detailed information.

• The 70/30 profile rule • Emotional availability signals • Username selection strategies • Profile picture body language • And 11 additional research-backed tips

These evidence-based strategies help people optimize their online dating profiles and increase their chances of finding meaningful connections.