“Reading an Online Dating Profile Information and Emotions”

Is it just me, or are you also seeing a lot more online dating profiles now than ever before? I mean, when my mom was single in the ’80s she didn’t even have a Facebook account. But nowadays, not only do people have social media accounts but they’re using them to find love via dating apps. And as much as we all want to believe that these days we can meet our perfect match with just one swipe of the finger, sometimes things don’t work out so easily and there’s still some old-fashioned “readin’ between the lines” involved when you go about getting familiar with someone else’s profile information and emotions related to it.

I’ve read plenty of articles on this topic and studied the psychology behind online dating profiles, and I’m here to share some of my knowledge with you.

Perhaps the most important thing when reading a profile is figuring out if there’s anything in particular that stands out as appealing or off-putting. This might be something like their last name, age range, occupation/education level, interests, and hobbies–or even just one sentence they’ve written about themselves on the “About Me” section. For example: maybe they identify what language(s) they speak fluently; mention how long it takes them to get ready each morning; post pictures from around the world where they’re doing adventurous things like skydiving or kite surfing; talk about being able to stay up all night drinking coffee and reading a good book.

One of the most important emotional reactions that come up when viewing profiles is deciding if you’re interested in meeting someone and want to message them–or not so much, thank you very much! It’s natural to feel an initial spark or feeling of connection with some people; maybe their profile makes you laugh out loud (maybe because they mention being “loud” on occasion)–or just downright cry at how perfect it seems for your life right now. But other times, it might be as easy as scrolling past a profile without even noticing those feelings coming up–and instead focusing on whether this person is really who you think needs to get into your life. I’m here to tell you: don’t let yourself go to waste.

when you’re looking at someone’s profile and the first thing that comes up is a feeling like they might be too good for you or not quite what you were expecting, it means your heart (or subconscious) knows something about this person. It could either mean there are commonalities between them–but it also may very likely just mean that from their photo alone, you can see how much of an amazing person they are and feel intimidated in some way because of who they seem to be. Either situation has its own positives: if it turns out those similarities are really important to both people, then maybe one day down the road these feelings will turn into love; but if on the other hand there’s no connection whatsoever–you’ll know to put your time and energy elsewhere.

how to know if your feelings are reciprocated? | This is the question we ask most often. It’s natural that there will be some feelings of fear, anxiety, excitement, or other strong emotion when thinking about this person–especially considering whether they might want to meet in real life. What matters more than anything else though is not feeling any specific way but rather being honest with yourself as much as possible about where these thoughts and emotions are coming from. Whether they’re warranted or unwarranted can’t always be determined just by looking at our own reactions–but we want to be as aware of them as possible in order to make the best decision.

how does online dating work? | This is a difficult question because there are so many different kinds and styles of sites, but most people will agree that it’s easiest when you’re on an actual site instead of using Facebook or other social media for your browsing. You can also use apps like Tinder which have made this more popular–though these days any gender should feel comfortable on either side of the hunt (or at least avoid being too picky).

what should you post on an online dating profile? | The first thing to remember is that when it comes to your online persona, there’s no such thing as too much information. This might be the most important and telling part of your entire profile–don’t just list one or two things about yourself! Let people get a sense of who you really are by listing some favorite interests, hobbies, books, TV shows/movies…whatever makes up your life outside of work.