These 4 Profile Smiles Make Men Swipe Right Almost Immediately, According To Research
Science says certain smiles hit differently when it comes to attracting a mate.
Rob Tol | Unsplash Dating has moved into the online world over the last couple of decades, and while most people still purport to meet their spouse or significant other IRL, online dating has become the second most popular way to meet a potential mate.
But dating advice says the best way to represent yourself to that digitized world of possible love matches is by making sure you have the best picture of yourself possible, of course. And your smile might actually help you learn how to get a date and determine your success.
In 2016, Coffee Meets Bagel, an online dating site that helps singles connect with people who are actually interested in them (and not just interested in ghosting on them), studied 300 singles, focusing on which photos scored in popularity and which were the least interacted with.
There was a noticeable trend in many of the photos, and it was easy to see that both men and women had their preferences when it came to choosing someone based on a single image. However, some of the trends that worked for women did not work for men, and vice versa.
Do you think you have a winning photograph on your dating profile? Then compare yours to those below for the 4 types of photos that will really knock your chances of making a match out of the park.
These 4 profile smiles make men swipe right almost immediately, according to research:
1. Women who tilt their head while smiling
The head tilt in photographs scored very well ... if you’re a woman, that is. Around 71 percent of women’s photos where they tilted their head were the most “liked.” Guys, however, should leave their heads squarely on their shoulders where they belong, since only 26 percent of the most-liked photos included an angle between neck and shoulder.
Research shows that female faces are rated as more attractive and more feminine when angled downwards compared to upwards, while male faces are perceived as more masculine when the head is tilted upward. This perceived attractiveness leads to a simulated view from above as being the most feminine.
2. Women who smile with teeth
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Men and women both did really well in photographs where they showed their teeth in each of their primary profile pictures. Among the ones selected, 50 percent of the photos “liked” had people wearing their biggest, toothiest smiles.
For men, 79 percent of them loved seeing the white 'n pearlies, while over half of the women — 58 percent — also chose to “like” the pictures of men showing off a huge, toothy smile. Want to know how to get a date? Simply set your profile picture to one of you with a big smile! It’s a good thing to see someone happy.
According to a study by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, a smile is the most memorable attribute people remember when first meeting someone. They found that about 48 percent of adults believe it's the most memorable feature regardless of age.
3. Women who smirk
While men did well with their full-spectrum smiles, they didn’t do so well with a closed-mouth grin. Only 5 percent of the most “liked” pics of men had closed-mouth smiles, which means ladies want to see you looking perkier.
Women, on the other hand, were able to pull the smirks off pretty well, to the tune of 24 percent of the most “liked” photos of them. That’s a huge difference, and important to note between full-mouth smiles with teeth and without them!
In a study of over 1,000 adults rating hundreds of images, women found men who smiled to be the least attractive, even preferring men with moody or shameful expressions over happy ones. This phenomenon reflects traditional gender norms, noting that smiling has been associated with a lack of dominance and that happiness is considered a particularly feminine-appearing expression.
4. Women who don't laugh in photos
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Believe it or not, of the photos that did the best, only 2 percent of women who were laughing in their pictures were actually selected. For men, it was a stone-cold 0 percent. What does this mean for people? While your favorite picture of you busting a belly laugh may be fun among friends, it doesn’t do well with potential partners.
By comparison, men and women both did moderately well by not smiling at all — 17 percent of women, and 16 percent of men — so that tells us matches are not looking for you to have a mid-laugh frozen image for your profile pic.
Maybe they just want to see the magic happen the first time they try out a cheesy line in front of you? Who knows.
For your main profile photo, a warm, engaged smile or even a thoughtful neutral expression creates the right balance of approachability and intrigue without overwhelming potential matches with too much emotional intensity. Neuromarketing research using eye tracking and EEG technology found that simple images of the match alone, with high contrast and close-up shots without facial obstructions like sunglasses, increased the attractiveness of potential matches.
Whether you’ve been in the dating scene for some time or are just getting into it, you can use this dating advice to arm yourself with the best possible chances of meeting your Mr. or Ms. Right. Now go take your magical profile picture... and make sure to smile.
Merethe Najjar is a professional writer, editor, and award-winning fiction author. Her articles have been featured in The Aviator Magazine, Infinite Press, Yahoo, BRIDES, and more.
