3 Most Useless Online Dating Criteria

By Dr. Christie Hartman. Posted on Jan 21st 2013.

If you're picky about eye color, you're begging to remain single.

"Athletic and toned" can mean "I'm neither skinny nor fat," or it can refer to one of those lean and mean people who go to Cross Fit every week. "Curvy" can mean an hourglass figure or it can mean overweight. Everyone has a different idea of what "a few extra pounds" means.

Ignore body type when searching for people to meet. Why rule out people over measurement error? Instead, let the photos speak for you. Whatever their stated body type, you'll either find them attractive or you won't.

3. Income. I have a reasonable number of friends in my life. Guess how many of them have shared their incomes with me? Two: a couple my husband and I are close to. That's it. So if I don't know my friends' incomes and they don't know mine, why should a bunch of strangers know yours and why should you know theirs?

More from YourTango: How to Handle Online Dating Burnout

I say income has no business on an online dating site. You divulge incomes when you build trust with someone, most likely because you're in a relationship. Besides, while income does tell you something about how a person lives, it tells you nothing about that person's individual circumstances, whether that person is a good match for you or how he/she will treat you.

Remember, when you state preferences online, they become requirements. They can severely limit your options. Most people are willing to be flexible with their criteria for the right person. As such, I recommend you ignore these three criteria when selecting who you want to meet.

More from YourTango: 3 Traps To Avoid When Talking To Your Man

Article orignically published on christiehartman.com.

Want more expert advice?

Article contributed by

View profile

Advanced Member

Dr. Christie Hartman

Author

Christie Hartman, PhD
Author, Behavioral Scientist, and Dating Expert
My Amazon page
http://www.christiehartman.com/

Location: Denver, CO

Credentials: PhD

Website: http://christiehartman.com/

Other Articles/News by Dr. Christie Hartman:

How to Handle Online Dating Burnout

By Dr. Christie Hartman

Online dating isn't easy. It requires dealing with a certain amount of challenges and annoyances, and often requires sustained effort before you meet someone promising. However, when you're faced with too many annoyances and what seems like endless sustained effort, you may come down with a good case of online dating burnout. And when you do, your ... Read more

3 Traps To Avoid When Talking To Your Man

By Dr. Christie Hartman

Women often complain that it's hard to get a man to talk. Or, when they do sit down and talk with a man, that he gets resistant or argumentative, doesn't tell the full truth or just tells her whatever he thinks she wants to hear. Why does he do this? Often, it's because he's had bad experiences talking with you or other women and has developed ... Read more

How Your Nose Affects Your Love Life

By Dr. Christie Hartman

I've written many articles on the importance of eye contact in dating and attraction. I've also written about the importance of social skills and about touch — when (and where) it's okay to touch a date. However, I have never before discussed another important sense as it relates to attraction: smell. Most people don't think of smell ... Read more