A new survey reveals what matters most to women when evaluating potential dates. Apparently, those pictures of your fancy car or your six-pack abs aren’t what is going to impress them. (Cue the Shania Twain.)
Furthermore, even though almost every dating profile ever written indicates that people either have – or value someone with – a ‘sense of humor’ – the fact that you love to laugh isn’t going to have women swooning either.
(And on a side note: what’s up with the popularity of seeking someone with a ‘sense of humour’? Everyone has a sense of humour. We just don’t always find the same things funny. What you really need is someone who’s humour is compatible with yours – and that you can only find out by getting to know someone. Not from an online profile.)
Anyway. That’s not what’s most important to people anymore.
The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and bees… Money matters. According to a new study of 2,000 online daters from Discover Financial Services and Match Media Group (the folks behind Match.com and Tinder), having a decent credit score is sexier than any other characteristic or quality you have.
When asked what mattered most to them in a potential partner, survey participants ranked financial responsibility as the most important with 69 percent people. This came in higher than a sense of humor (67 per cent), attractiveness (51 per cent), ambition (50 per cent), courage (42 per cent) and modesty (39 per cent).
While both genders think that financial responsibility is important, it is a more desired trait for women – as 77 percent of female participants said that it is a very or extremely important quality in a potential partner (as compared to 61 percent of men.)
Why does having a good credit matter to a potential date? Are they just gold digging and looking for someone with a fat wallet to wine and dine them? Not really. Survey respondents say that they equate being good with money with other desirable personality traits.
When asked what this quality told them about a person, they said it implied a potential partner was:
- responsible (73 percent),
- trust worthy (40 per cent)
- and smart (38 per cent).
“When it comes to dating, a good credit score ups your mate value, helping you win a responsible, long-term partner, more so than some other qualities that online daters might highlight on their profile,” says Dr. Helen Fisher, chief scientific advisor for Match.com. “Money talks, but your credit score can speak more about who you are as a person, and singles agree that those with good credit tend to be conscientious and reliable.”
Which makes sense. If you’re just looking to hook-up, it probably doesn’t matter. However, if you are dating and hoping it can lead to a more serious relationship, you’d want it to be with someone who is financially savvy, can manage their own money, and isn’t drowning in debt. Y’know, somebody responsible, trustworthy, and smart.
Being smart with money is much hotter than being deeply in debt and driving a fancy car. (‘Cause that’s just dumb, and dumb ain’t sexy.)
These are the exact words that women respond to in online dating profiles, according to science.
