The Grey Area Of Online Identity: Lies In Digital Dating

OkCupid, a popular online dating website, has produced a detailed blog entry that exposes common lies told by online daters.  Their behind-the-scene perspective gives some insight on the extent of users skewing profile information to draw more date requests from others. From the report:

Although following a similar empirical distribution, many men often report heights two inches taller than reality.  Men just underneath 6 foot tall have a tendency to stretch physical measurements even more to reach that coveted psychological benchmark.

Reported incomes are about 20% higher for both gender, although men  slightly over-exaggerate more than women, and younger people overstate less than older people.

A large majority of people that claim to be bisexual usually contact only one gender – not both.

Older people tend to use outdated profile pictures in higher frequency, particularly with older men.

Ok Cupid Blog: “The Big Lies People Tell In Online Dating”