Postures can increase your success in online dating, study says
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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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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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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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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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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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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