Your Online Image Affects Your Love Life

YouBeauty.com
Thinkstock
Thinkstock

Looking for love in this crazy age of technology? It's best to stay true to yourself.

People on online dating sites put themselves in the most positive light, sometimes to a deceitful degree. A ton of personal primping happens with photographs, where you can pick the most flattering shots and retouch them.

It may not come as a surprise that online daters have used older photos of themselves to appear younger, or posted shots from a digital camera with low-resolution (for a more forgiving skin appearance), Toma and Hancock found in an Cornell University study.

A similar online dating study showed that 81 percent of women and men deviated from the cold-hard truth about facts like their age or how tall they are.

But when it comes to Facebook, it's a whole other story.

"Facebook is more connected to the world. It would be harder to get away with faking it on Facebook. I think you'd get caught if you were too far from reality," says Assistant Professor of Psychology, Dr. Vazire.

Think about it, your friends view everything you post. If something doesn't sound or look right, they're going to say it!

QUIZ: Take the Close Relationships Quiz

So you can't fake it on Facebook, but you can still put your best face forward.

The online dating site OkCupid.com compiles research on the profile pics that receive the most messages-and it's not just "the most attractive" people. Some expressions are more eye-catching than others. Looking flirty "off the screen" isn't as inviting as directly making eye contact with the camera and smiling. With guys, a smile doesn't attract as many messages as with women. For guys it's actually more favorable to look away from the camera and not not smile. Looks mysterious.

We say, let your pretty personality shine through! At least on Facebook, it already does.

MORE: Five Rules for Happier Hunting in the World of Online Dating

- Angelica Catalano

Have you ever tried an online dating site?

More from YouBeauty.com:

QUIZ: Are You Sexually Satisfied?

What's Your Self-Esteem?

Charm School: Be Magnetic