Some online daters try to lie about their ages or weight to prevent getting filtered out in demographic searches, as minor "flaws" can become magnified online, compared to real world interactions.
Some online daters try to lie about their ages or weight to prevent getting filtered out in demographic searches, as minor "flaws" can become magnified online, compared to real world interactions.
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"When you meet someone face to face you might not know exactly how old they are, but online you might develop these stringent criteria, like ''if you're 35, I'll date you, but if you're 36, forget it''," Gibbs explained.
Researchers refer to that tendency to idealize people based on the bits and pieces of information they share online as the "hyperpersonal effect".
So while statistically online dating certainly works, with more than 10 million American couples as proof, it's important to grasp the difference between what Gibbs calls online "relationshopping" and offline "relationshipping".
Essentially, online dating sites provide a marketplace to easily shop around and find interesting people to meet, but building lasting relationships requires more offline maintenance.
"Online dating sites are all about bringing people together, and sometimes it forms this illusion that with a few clicks of the mouse you can find your soul mate," Gibbs said.
"But really, that's just the first step, and to get to know the person there's a process of developing a relationship," she added.
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