Research reveals 57 per cent of online daters lie in their quest to find a partner. Commissioned by new dating website Would Like To Meet, the report reveals that a quarter of Brits lie at least four times on their dating profiles and nearly a third of us use profile pictures that are three years old or more.
Relationships on Female First
Even more alarming is that almost one in ten use profile pictures which are at least ten years out of date, with men being the worst culprits.
Inspired by this research, Would Like To Meet verifies each member through a brief web chat before they’re allowed onto the site – ensuring that everyone looks like their photo and is who they claim to be.
Mirror Mirror…
Even though pictures say a thousand words, over a fifth of Brits also lie about their age to go alongside their youthful photos, with men being twice as likely to subtract a few years.
When it comes to size, our computer screens really do shed a few pounds with almost half of Brits revealing that they lie about their dress size on their profile.
Women are the biggest culprits with 10 per cent also treating themselves to a virtual breast job by exaggerating the size of their bust by two cup sizes. Men take a different tact and prefer to add a few inches with a third lying about their height.
I Am A Millionaire, Sort of
It isn’t just physical attributes that Brits lie about; we also bend the truth when it comes to their professional status.
Nearly a quarter admit to lying about their job and seniority at work to impress potential partners. Surprising given the current economic climate, almost a quarter of online daters say they work in finance when they don’t.
The second most popular wish-list profession is in TV and music, followed closely by a respectable career in law. Nearly 10 per cent of us also give ourselves an imaginary PA in the hope of impressing the opposite sex.
But why do so many online daters succumb to lying when there is such a high risk of getting caught out in the end?
Psychologist Donna Dawson says, “Many people regard online dating as if it were a fishing expedition, and they want to cast their line into the pool with the best ‘bait’.
“The bait is the qualities that they think will attract best potential partners - and if this means adding inches to their height, reducing a dress size, or pretending to be more senior at work, then they will do just that.
“Their hope is to make such a strong impression on the first meeting that any lies, will be overlooked. The trouble is that they rarely succeed, as the very first, ‘first impression’ will reveal them to be dishonest.”
Donna also suggests that the 13 per cent of online daters who don’t write their own profiles, should start – or at least think carefully before choosing their ghost writer.
The words Brits are most suspicious about when used on dating sites and their hidden meanings:
40ish – More like 50 years old
Adventurous - Sexually adventurous and likes threesomes
Free-spirit – A ‘tree hugger’ and a hippy
Open minded – Would like an ‘open relationship’
Bubbly – Hyper
Athletic – Vain
Marital Status Unknown
Although you’d imagine that all members on dating sites are single, an outstanding 17 per cent of supposed singletons are actually in relationships. Furthermore, a quarter lie about their marital status to cover up being separated or divorced – a habit which men are 10 per cent more likely to adopt.
With all this lying at the touch of a keypad, the study reveals that rightly so, we are a nation of suspicious minds with over a quarter of online daters having suspected that a potential suitor was actually married or in a relationship.
You Only Want Me For My Money
Beyond the world of white lies – 39 per cent of online daters have also been subjected to a financial scam or know someone who has. These scams are often carried out by other ‘members’ who trick fellow daters into giving them or ‘lending’ them money that they will never see again.
Although meeting Pinocchio partners is a worry, our biggest concern is that the actual dating sites themselves lie - using fake profiles, good looking people who aren’t actually signed up to the site, to boost numbers and entice people in.
Founder of Would Like To Meet, Eden Blackman, said, “From experience, it is clear that honesty and belief is the most important ingredient when it comes to online dating and this research confirms that most people feel the same.
“With this in mind, I wanted to create a site without fake profiles, only real verified pictures allowed where members know the people they see are the people behind the profile. I have always worked on the ethic that if you hide behind a fake profile picture what else are you hiding.”