Revealed: The Mysterious Cleavage-To-Age Effectiveness Ratio For Dating Sites

from the abs-it-up dept

Tue, Dec 14th 2010 7:29am — Mike Masnick

Dennis points us to dating site OKCupid's Sam Yagan revealing some of the data crunching results they've done on what works and what doesn't work on dating sites. It's actually pretty impressive just how much data the site has to work with, so there are some interesting (and some amusing) findings. Of course, some of it is blindingly obvious: women showing cleavage get a greater response. But did you know that said cleavage is apparently much more effective for women who are 32 than women who are 18? Apparently, at 18, "revealing" shots get 24% more interest, but at 32 such photos get 79% more interest. Not quite sure what to make of that. On the flip side, apparently guys showing their abs actually works... though, as Yagan rightly points out, there's a self-selection issue here, where it's pretty much only guys who have good abs who choose to reveal them in their profile photos.

Yagan also points out some differences about whether or not your profile picture should involve you staring into the camera. Turns out it depends on your gender:

So on the photos we've learned a bunch of things. We've learned that you should be doing something interesting. We've learned that if you are a man, you shouldn't look straight into the camera because that's intimidating to women. If you are a woman, you should be looking into the camera because men don't want to imagine you looking at some other guy. They want you looking straight at them. So we've learned that if you take a photo in your bathroom or a photo taken with your cell phone, those have a more authentic, more intimate appeal and those actually do very, very well.

I find this kind of stuff fascinating (not because I'm interested in online dating -- happily married and all that) but because suddenly all sorts of bizarre data is now available that opens up a window into the human brain that just wasn't there before. The obvious stuff is no surprise, clearly, but some of the specifics and other oddities really are fascinating, and give you a data-based look into human psychology.

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Filed Under: data, dating

40 Comments

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Pixelation, 14 Dec 2010 @ 7:39am

Cleavage
I bet if you put an image of a woman showing cleavage with each article, you would get even more interest.
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Adam (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 7:42am

Re: Cleavage
Maybe they could change the auto-generated gravatar images to auto-generated fractal boobs.
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Hephaestus (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:35am

Re: Re: Cleavage
"Maybe they could change the auto-generated gravatar images to auto-generated fractal boobs."

How would that attract women to the site? You want to look at both sides of the spectrum ... abs maybe?
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:35am

Re: Re: Cleavage
"Maybe they could change the auto-generated gravatar images to auto-generated fractal boobs."

I wonder if you could figure out a way for the fractal boob to actually alter its image (or progress fractally, if speaking in complexity theory terms) based on the formatting and grammar of one's comments. Well formatted comments get a nice, pert, round, Jenn Sterger breast.

Darryl would get some hairy saggy orangutan titty....
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Cixelsid (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:35am

Doesn't work so well when its a guy showing cleavage.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:45am

Different attraction
"Apparently, at 18, "revealing" shots get 24% more interest, but at 32 such photos get 79% more interest."

The younger girl attraction, no matter what the males age IMO, has at least something to do with attaction to innocence. Even the uptick in "revealing" photos is probably due to some attaction to an innocent looking girl doing something out of character.

With the older women, the attraction is to confidence, and probably even a little bit aggression. Confident, good-looking older (relatively speaking) are hot. Confident, good looking but aggressive teenagers just kind of come off as stupid (regardless of gender)....

I think I'll refer to this as the Stifler's Mom effect. I'll be famous like YOU soon!
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slacker525600 (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:47am

I think my favorite stat from the blog was
in the http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/gay-sex-vs-straight-sex/ article, if you search down to "I discovered one question with a surprising disparity, not between orientations, but between genders." Tis ... comical.
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interval (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:47am

Re: Re: Re: Cleavage
I'm just glad I was able to see the word "fractal boob" on the screen.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:58am

Abs smabbs, why would a woman want a guy with a 6 pack when she can have a guy like me with a keg?
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Comboman (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 9:08am

The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
I would think it should be fairly obvious that 18 year olds get plenty of responses, with or without the cleavage. The 32 year olds need all the help they can get.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 9:14am

Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
"The 32 year olds need all the help they can get."

I have to wonder honestly how old you are. Once you get into your late twenties, there is something incredibly sexy about a good-looking, confident woman in her early 30's....
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pclanguy, 14 Dec 2010 @ 9:28am

Perhaps Techdirt needs to kill 2 birds with 1 stone... fractal boobs with nice abs.
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crade (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 9:37am

Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Sure, but you have to admit the percentage of women (and guys as well of course) who are in good physical shape in their 30s is going to be less than those who are 18 (or early twenties)
You've also got to remember that we are looking at the subset of individuals who are most likely unattached and probably somewhat desperate. The women in their 30's are likely (not neccessarily of course) to have been unattached for a much longer period :)
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2010 @ 9:47am

Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Yes there is. For that matter, if a woman is well kept then there is something sexy about a good-looking, confident woman in her late 40s (Mary-Louise Parker...I'd do things to her that aren't even legal).
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 9:49am

Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Hm, well, okay...but he made it sound like 32 year olds were invariably less hot than younger women, which ain't true....
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2010 @ 10:12am

Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Yeah, thats a load of crap. I do think there might be something there as far as overall stats on dating sites though.
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crade (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 10:13am

Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Yeah, thats a load of crap. I do think there might be something there as far as overall stats on dating sites though.
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crade (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 10:20am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
PS: Not sure why but discussing such things candidly also feels completely wrong. lol
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 10:21am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Meh, never bothered me....
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crade (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 10:43am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
I was just trying to picture a page of 20 pictures of 18 year olds and a page of 20 pictures of 32 year olds and asking myself: Why are 10/14 of the 32 year olds who are not showing cleavage in my head about 40 pounds overweight? and only 2/18 of the 18 year olds? Then I thought.. 18 is far to young for me anyway.. Then I thought.. I'm married! What am I doing on this dating site! :)
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2010 @ 10:50am

"you should be looking into the camera because men don't want to imagine you looking at some other guy"
So women are ok with imagining you looking at some other girl? Yeah right. Reasoning fail.
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Ryan Diederich, 14 Dec 2010 @ 11:05am

Daemon
If anyone has read Daemon by Daniel Suarez it outlines this outcome exactly. With the overwhelming source of information, a dark network allows people to see every detail about everyone.

With special glasses with a HUD display, they can see their credit scores and their recent purchases above their heads, as well as a wealth of other information.

I see this as the future.

What really sparked my interest was the iPad app that allowed you to point your iPad down the street, and it would put callouts above locations that it recognized via the image and GPS.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 11:18am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Was it then that you discovered you'd already been fapping for twenty minutes?
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Michael, 14 Dec 2010 @ 11:35am

Re: Re: Re: Cleavage
Attract women to the tech site? And why would they want to do that?
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crade (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 11:59am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
twenty minutes!? What do you think I am superman?
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Double D, 14 Dec 2010 @ 12:33pm

Boobs
"Apparently, at 18, "revealing" shots get 24% more interest, but at 32 such photos get 79% more interest. Not quite sure what to make of that..."

Here's what I make of it...
24% of men are ok looking at barely legal boobs, and 76% feel weird about it.

32 year-old women have older, more experienced boobs, and 79% of men are interested in that.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 12:44pm

Re: Boobs
I agree. There's nothing worse than an inept breast....
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2010 @ 12:44pm

Re: Boobs
You nailed it...(or them if you are lucky).
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The Mighty Buzzard (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 1:12pm

Re:
Meh, it's simply much more difficult overall for a man to be intimidated by a woman than the inverse. Equality shmequality. If you had to live your life in a world where half the people in it handily outclassed you in strength, you'd be easily intimidated too.
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Double D, 14 Dec 2010 @ 1:16pm

Re: Re: Boobs
So lucky I have them....and they are older, and more experienced, so 79% of you should be more interested in this posting.
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Kingster (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 1:19pm

The article...
Jeeez louise! OK, I know that this isn't a blog about design or anything... but...

I clicked the link for the article... And while I like the concept of that site - I hate it. WTF is up with a post area that fits all of like 5 lines in it?? I mean, I get that it's in the video... But... Either don't have the post, or put it into a usable area. They may be big thinkers, but they don't put those thoughts into a usable space.
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monkyyy, 14 Dec 2010 @ 2:32pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Cleavage
we need more women in tech, lets get rid of some of the males
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monkyyy, 14 Dec 2010 @ 2:35pm

Re:
its hard to find a diet keg, and women like hurting themselves with diets
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scarr (profile), 14 Dec 2010 @ 5:55pm

Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
You mustn't have read OK Cupid's other blog post, on "The Case for an Older Woman". (http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-case-for-an-older-woman/ -- See "Exhibit C: Looks")
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Pixelation, 14 Dec 2010 @ 7:16pm

I, for one, am glad that Mike has kept us "abreast" of the situation.
Someone had to say it...
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2010 @ 8:38pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.
Pff... Twenty minutes is nothing. ;)
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BearGriz72 (profile), 15 Dec 2010 @ 4:52am

Re: Re: Re: Cleavage
"Darryl would get some hairy saggy orangutan titty...."

Literally LMAO!
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Cipher-0, 15 Dec 2010 @ 11:31am

Re: Re: Boobs
When she told me she was a professional woman, I told her it was time I stopped fooling around with the amateurs.
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nasch (profile), 15 Dec 2010 @ 1:48pm

Re: I think my favorite stat from the blog was
Comical? It hurts! The stupid is hurting me!
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Kate, 27 Jan 2014 @ 6:08am

Re:
Bwahahaha albeit this is an old thread made me choke on my java...too funny...:-)
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