What Men Look for In Online Dating Partners

As the days get chillier and darker, it's easy to find yourself daydreaming about finding a winter boyfriend or girlfriend to cuddle with through the cold. Even the happily single can fall prey to this, because when it's below freezing and pitch black at 5 p.m., sometimes you just want someone to come share body heat without you having to go through the trouble of leaving your bed, dammit. When you think about it that way, it's easy to see why online dating reaches a peak in winter. So just for you guys, online dating site Zoosk told us what traits women are looking for in online dating partners this year. We even found out what men are looking for, too, if you're interested (but don't feel like you have to change yourself to fit these trends!).The data is based on 53,223 New Yorkers, using the Dating Insights function available to all Zoosk users. (It's pretty cool, by the way — the website tracks stuff like how long you spend creeping on someone's profile and what messages you respond to, then compiles all the data so you can see your own dating habits.) So what are people looking for in online partners this season? Let's start with...

What Are Men Looking For?

It's not exactly a shock that 54 percent of men prefer a partner who is 0 to 10 years younger, but surprisingly, almost a third of men prefer someone 10 or more years younger. Mike Nichols would have been proud. Of the data collected, 69 percent of men prefer a partner who is shorter. (At least there's one advantage to being short.) New York men also like their partners to be well-educated: 43 percent prefer a partner with a bachelor’s or graduate degree, and a whopping 65 percent prefer a partner without children. How could Sleepless in Seattle lie to me so?

Nora Ephron's romantic lies aside, real talk here for this last one. Sixty-four percent of men prefer a non-smoker, which is awesome! But...that also means 36 percent are totally cool with it. Really guys? There's really no reason to smoke nowadays since we now know it's literally going to kill you . Phew. I'll get off my soapbox now.

So what are we ladies looking for? The answers might surprise you.

What Are Women Looking For?

Much like men, quite a few women prefer their partners to be older: almost a quarter look for men who are 10 or more years older than them. However, women also like their partners to be less than two inches taller. Nobody likes getting a crick in their neck just from trying to kiss someone hello.

Women are also a little more likely to want someone with a bachelor's degree — 48 percent of women, as opposed to 43 percent of men. Basically, being well educated can't hurt your chances. We're less likely to mind if someone already has children; only 60 percent preferred partners without kids. And, last of all, we're a teeny bit more health-conscious, with 68 percent preferring non-smokers. Still not great, but I'll take it.There you have it! Use the information as you will, but remember these are just trends. Don't feel like you have to change your lovely self to fit these statistics. Good luck during cuffing season!

Image: Alex E. Proimos/Flickr, Giphy (2), fiddle-dee-fit/Tumblr