Life
If you think being ridiculously good looking is the only way to get anywhere on dating apps, think again. In a first of its kind national survey of over 9,000 men and women, 18-36, Tinder looked into the dating habits and experiences of both Tinder users and folks who don't online date and don't plan to. As it turns out, dating apps may not be as shallow and appearance driven as it seems.
For instance, if you believe that dating apps are ruining relationships, Tinder's Modern Dating Myths survey found that those who swipe may actually have more relationships, find love faster, and are more open to connecting with new people in comparison to offline daters.
According to the survey, Tinder users are also having safer sex most of the time and are "conversationalists" who are less likely to use cheesy pick-up lines when initiating conversations with attractive strangers. But one interesting find is what people say really matters on dating apps. And, it's actually pretty similar to what those offline want.
"Based on the survey, we found that beauty AND brains matter with education and age being the most important factors for all singles," Tinder Sociologist Dr. Jess Carbino tells Bustle. "Both singles who have online dated in the past and offline daters hold education as an important factor when considering a potential date (96 percent and 93 percent respectively), proving that looks aren’t the end all be all."
According to Tinder's survey, here's what really matters to Millennials who date online and offline.
Beauty And Brains Matter To Everyone
Over 90 percent of both Tinder and non-Tinder users say education is important when considering a potential date. When ranked, education tops the list for what Tinder users look for in a date, followed by age and then looks.
"Historically, the number one driver for couples that have matched on Tinder is education, which is an important indicator of various similarities between couples such as socioeconomic status and social background," Carbino says. "Given the importance of these values for overall compatibility, it makes a great deal of sense that both offline and online daters value education. Additionally, given that online daters are historically more highly educated than the general population, it's unsurprising that they are slightly more likely to value education in a potential partner."
Online Daters Are More Mindful Of Their Politics And Values
According to the survey, political views matter more to online daters than off. About 71 percent of online daters say opposing political views is a deal-breaker in comparison to 66 percent of offline daters. Nearly one in four Tinder users also rank differing political views as their number one deal-breaker. Overall, online daters are more likely to consider their values before agreeing to a date, which makes sense since you typically know a great deal about an online date before meeting up with them versus someone you meet at a party.
Non-Tinder Users Value Career Aspirations In A Potential Date
Almost 20 percent of offline folks say differences in career aspirations is a deal-breaker in comparison to only 13 percent of online daters. But when it comes to career aspirations in a potential date, female Tinder users are five percent more likely to put value on it than men.
So as you can see, when it comes to dating in general, appearance isn't everything and it isn't event the most important thing. While looks may be a factor in deciding who you want to go out with, it goes deeper than that whether you're looking for love online or off.
