Research Found One Try-Hard Habit That Makes Men Instantly Distrust Women Online
Dean Drobot | Canva Online dating can be so tough for women because there are a lot of creeps; the Pew Research Center found that only half of Americans even feel online dating is safe. This is likely because many people use dating apps for things other than romance: One study has suggested that many people use apps just to feel more connected or as an unhealthy coping mechanism, which can worsen things like impulsivity and depression.
Women who use dating apps also know men are very visual creatures, so they believe they must have the 'perfect' photo to put their best foot forward. Though research has found that the extra time spent on curating gorgeous profile photos might be wasted, it also has the disadvantage of making men trust you less.
Research found that men distrust women who post hot photos of themselves online
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A woman's pursuit of perfection makes men wonder what she's hiding
According to 2015 research from the University of Connecticut, men see a hot woman's photo and instantly think she can't be trusted. Why is this? Men in society are conditioned to think women who use cosmetics are vain, deceitful, and narcissistic, researchers depressingly explained.
They asked 153 men and 152 women, ages 17 to 36, to look at one of four pictures. They showed men photos of women. One set was enhanced, with women wearing makeup and styled hair, while the other set of photos had women with a more natural look.
Both men and women ranked the people who had all the enhancements, like makeup, styled hair, and flattering lighting, as significantly more attractive than the natural photos. The men found the women in the enhanced photos less trustworthy, and this was also supported by another study.
Women, on the other hand, found more attractive men to be more trustworthy. Women also looked at a photo of the same man who was either unenhanced or enhanced with styled hair, makeup, and flattering lighting.
Filters, photo-editing, and AI have tarnished photo authenticity
In a world where people's judgments are so far off, is there really any hope? Possibly. "The guys were very honest in their assessments. They say 'I find her more attractive' and 'I find her less trustworthy,'" explains the study's author, Rory Gloin. “Males are so used to seeing women who have been Photoshopped and edited [in society], and they are just skeptical that maybe she's not really that good-looking."
It's different for the women, as in their eyes, attractive men benefited from a halo effect. The halo effect is when someone assumes something is going to be good or worth it simply because of how appealing it looks. Basically, because one aspect of it seems good, it means the rest of it is going to be too.
“If he is attractive and I would like to date him, he must be trustworthy,” Gloin explains. All the more reason why society should ease up on Photoshop so women don't feel pressure to look like something fake, and men don't have to be so jaded.
Nicole Weaver is a writer whose work has been featured in New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, and more.
