Online Dating Advice: Get Rid Of Your Selfie

So you have your online dating profile all set up. You’ve just written a sizable “about me” section, that somewhat tells an accurate picture of who you are in your day to day life, and next up is the visual. The picture on a person’s online dating profile is sometimes the most important part of a person’s profile. It gives an automatic impression of you to your possible mate and shows that person what he or she is dealing with on a physical level, at least from an outward perspective.

While most online daters will insist that they don’t judge a book by its cover, the fact of the matter is we are visual people, whether we like to admit it or not. Nine times out of ten a photo is the main deciding factor that gauges a person’s attention. A photo is the foundation behind the immediate first few impressions a person makes within seconds of viewing a profile.

It goes without saying that the picture you use on your online dating profile, goes a long way. A photo simply says a lot about a person. CEO founder of online dating site Zoosk, Shayan Zadeh, says that the selfie is an image that needs to go, especially if you’re a guy.

“Your picture is really important. Taking a picture that shows your full body actually improves your chances of responses. If you’re a guy, avoid selfies. Selfies don’t work for guys. Women, yes. Selfies work for them.”

It makes sense. Men are visual people as a whole and really like to see what they’re getting into from an aesthetic level as women are known to be more critical thinkers who would much rather get to know someone on an intellectual level.

However, it goes both ways for genders when it comes to showing yourself. As far as generalizing goes for hetero relationships, Zadeh’s comment about women not liking selfies makes sense. Why would a woman want to see “the big gun show” in a mirror selfie? It projects the image that a man is only interested in himself, and while women do want to know someone a bit better, that doesn’t translate to seeing someone who is totally into himself.

As for the meat and potatoes of a profile, Zadeh pointed out that men will increase their chances of finding a mate if they list outdoor activities and women are a stand out if they talk about sports.

As far as mentioning the past, Zadeh says that’s fine but don’t harp on it as it may make for results you weren’t anticipating.

“If you’re iterating things you don’t want, like, ‘I don’t want this type of person.’ The negative tone of the profile would be a disastrous result.”

Now that we have bestowed such tips, it’s time to hit save and finish up that dating profile. Good luck.

[Image credit: igor.stevanovic / Shutterstock.com]