Postures can increase your success in online dating, study says

By Emanuella Grinberg, CNN

Updated 2102 GMT (0502 HKT) March 28, 2016

People make snap judgments about potential mates in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, especially in online and speed dating. Here's what a new study says about poses and postures that guarantee the best odds of success in dating profile pictures and speed dating.
Photos: Dominant postural expansiveness
People make snap judgments about potential mates in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, especially in online and speed dating. Here's what a new study says about poses and postures that guarantee the best odds of success in dating profile pictures and speed dating.
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The research article is called "Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance," which essentially means that poses involving outstretched limbs and torsos are attractive in first encounters.
Photos: Dominant postural expansiveness
The research article is called "Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance," which essentially means that poses involving outstretched limbs and torsos are attractive in first encounters.
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Also known as "postural expansiveness," it refers to poses that expand the space beyond the body through widespread arms, legs and torsos.
Photos: Dominant postural expansiveness
Also known as "postural expansiveness," it refers to poses that expand the space beyond the body through widespread arms, legs and torsos.
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How do researchers know this actually works? They asked people and tested the hypothesis. In one study they created two online profiles for the same person. One profile used pictures showing the person with arms crossed and close to the body; the other portrayed them with arms outstretched and away from the body. Using expansive postures nearly doubled the chances of getting a yes, the study found.
Photos: Dominant postural expansiveness
How do researchers know this actually works? They asked people and tested the hypothesis. In one study they created two online profiles for the same person. One profile used pictures showing the person with arms crossed and close to the body; the other portrayed them with arms outstretched and away from the body. Using expansive postures nearly doubled the chances of getting a yes, the study found.
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The study found that mate-seekers said yes to the person with the outstretched arms more often than to the poses with crossed arms, hunched torsos or limbs close to the body.
Photos: Dominant postural expansiveness
The study found that mate-seekers said yes to the person with the outstretched arms more often than to the poses with crossed arms, hunched torsos or limbs close to the body.
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The findings are consistent with previous research on the impact of other nonverbal cues such as smiling and nodding. Researchers theorize it sends a message of warmth, dominance and access to resources.
Photos: Dominant postural expansiveness
The findings are consistent with previous research on the impact of other nonverbal cues such as smiling and nodding. Researchers theorize it sends a message of warmth, dominance and access to resources.
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Story highlights

  • New research looks at ideal postures in quick dating contexts
  • Study finds that posing with stretched limbs in profile pictures increases odds of success

(CNN)The power of posture reigns in the animal kingdom, where peacocks fan their feathers and chimpanzees flaunt their limbs to assert dominance and attract mates. New research suggests that humans trying online dating apps and speed-dating might want to follow their lead.

Previous studies have shown that nonverbal cues such as a smile or a nod of the head garner interest from potential romantic partners. The gestures have what scientists call "positive signal value," meaning they create the impression that you are warm and friendly, someone others want to be around.
    But modern courtship rarely lasts long enough to form an impression based on meaningful, real-life interactions. Decisions are made in a matter of minutes, even seconds, with a single swipe in digital dating or a passing encounter in the real world.
      When it comes to dating sites, race matters
      When it comes to dating sites, race matters
      Research based on two studies found that literally extending yourself could make you more attractive in speed and online dating. In a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that body postures involving widespread limbs and a stretched torso nearly doubles the odds of success compared with closed postures involving limbs held close to the torso, hunched over.
      It's called "postural expansiveness," and it basically refers to how much space you take up with your torso and limbs. Such "power postures" convey dominance and willingness to share those traits with others, study co-author Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk said.
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      "We've seen it in the animal world, that taking up more space and maximizing presence in a physical space is used as signal for attracting a mate," Vacharkulksemsuk said. "By exerting dominance they're trying to signal to a potential mate 'I am able to do things, I have a space in this hierarchy, I have access to resources.' "
      To test the theory with humans, Vacharkulksemsuk and her team conducted two field studies, involving speed-dating interactions and using a unnamed leading GPS-based online dating application.