Men, Women See Enhanced Dating Profile Pictures Differently In Terms Of Trust

Most of us have been there. We've come across that dating profile picture that just seemed too good to be true. Maybe it was a touch of Photoshop, filters or who even knows.

Now, researchers at the University of Connecticut are examining just how "enhancing" our online photos can change people's perceptions of who we really are. And of course, its impact affects male and female counterparts differently. 

The study involved 305 heterosexual participants between the ages of 17 and 36 who were randomly assigned to view one of four profiles of the same male or female. Some of the pictures received a bit more attention through better lighting, makeup or hair, while others were classified as more "normal" with no makeup or hair treatment and satisfactory lighting.

Participants were then required to answer a series of questions to determine the profile's attractiveness, trustworthiness and the participants desire to date them.

Women who viewed the "enhanced" photos of male counterparts found them to be both more attractive and more trustworthy. On the other hand, this was not quite the case for male participants. They found the "enhanced" photos of women more attractive but less trustworthy. However, attraction for men seemed to be more important than trust, in the end. Many of the male participants were still likely to go on a date with an attractive woman they felt might also be untrustworthy.

"Trust is an important part of any relationship and it certainly plays an important role in the forging of new social bonds in the dating context. Yet, we found an interesting relationship between attractiveness and trust for males who were viewing female profile pictures. Specifically, men typically found the more beautified and therefore more attractive profile to also be less trustworthy," concluded lead study author Rory McGloin, in a news release. "This finding provides an empirical highlight to the concept of cat- fishing and the larger phenomena surrounding online dating, in which it is both normal and acceptable for individuals' to mislead or deceive their potential suitors."

The findings, released Friday, will be presented at the 65th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association in San Juan, Puerto Rico.