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A study recently looked at the first details that men and women notice in the opposite sex when they consult a dating app. And the results are less cliché than they seem!
What do you look at first in a suitor, at least on their profile, when looking for love on a dating app? And is it different depending on gender? This is the question asked by a team of psychology researchers from Maine. Visibly, thanks to the eye movements of 40 participants, an observation emerges: from the first seconds, men and women do not look at the same things on a profile.
Do men value looks, women value money? Not so simple…
Based on experience, as a general rule and based on their eye movements, men tend to focus on physical attractiveness before considering anything else. Women, for their part, took into account both attractiveness and resource potential. Results that could reinforce existing stereotypes according to which men are superficial and women are interested. But what happens next changes things a little.
“No matter how attractive the man was (high or low), women ultimately spent more time looking at men’s faces when resources were low than high.”wondered Amy Lykins, lead author of the study. Which could say that women on dating apps make a difference between situation and attractive potential (He may not earn much, but he has a pretty smiling face…).
Conversely, men tended to spend a little more time on the profile if the woman held a prestigious or well-paid job, particularly if she was considered less attractive. “Thus, women were more generous to men with fewer resources when they were attractive, while men were more generous to less attractive women when they had more resources. concludes HuffPost US which reveals this study.
The face counts more than the physique
Other expected results were also highlighted. In particular, a beautiful face is more attractive to everyone than a sculpted body.. “In total, 83% of looking time was directed to the facial region, regardless of other information presented,” the study indicates.
“I’ve seen this in other eye-tracking studies I’ve conducted, even when people are barely clothed and/or even naked. People are extremely interested in faces, even when they’re new- born, and this is true for both men and women. confirms Amy Lykins.
Another finding, which we already suspected: overall, men said they were more interested in short-term relationships than long-term ones, and women said they were more interested in long-term relationships than in long-term ones. those in the short term.
10 seconds and then gone?
Swipe, don’t swipe… The decision would be made in a few glances, and around ten seconds tops. At least for those who are familiar with apps. However, the author claims that it is necessary to know more. The study in question, while interesting, did not include any LGBTQ participants, nor any straight people over the age of 27. Does what we look at in others depend on age and sexual orientation? This still remains to be demonstrated.
Slide: Our selection of dating apps: for one night or for life!