Mothers are a good source of advice. They tell us to wear clean underwear, not to smoke, and to floss — only to be met with surly resistance. No one likes to be told what to do, but moms are making good points. Perhaps, we would listen more to our mothers if we knew for a fact that these guidelines for living were more likely to get us laid. All of a sudden everything sounds worth the effort, right?
Now science is showing you are more likely to score a date if you take mom’s advice and exhibit good posture. A team of researchers at Princeton University discovered people are more successful on dating apps like Tinder when they use expansive postures in their profile pics. That means keeping arms and legs open instead of crossing them, for example.
Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the study asserts an open, dominant posture is perceived to be more attractive than the alternative. This may be one of the only arguments for manspreading.
“We have seen it within the animal world, that taking on extra space and maximising presence inside a physical space can be used as a signal for attracting a mate,” lead author Dr. Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk explains. “By applying dominance they are attempting to signal to some potential mate ‘I can do things, I’ve got a space within this hierarchy, I get access to sources.’”
To gather their findings, the researchers crafted two different dating profiles for a single person. One featured an image of the person hunched over and in the other, they had an expansive posture. The second was nearly two times more likely to be successful. See? Stand up straight.
Next, the theory was put to the test at a speed dating event, during which recordings were taken. A review of the video showed those singles who adopted expansive body language were also twice as likely to be selected for future dates.
“These findings indicate that in modern-day dating contexts, in which initial attraction often is determined by a rapid decision following a brief interaction or seeing a photograph, displays of expansive posture increase one’s chances of initial romantic success,” the authors wrote. “Our research suggests that a nonverbal dominance display increases a person’s chances of being selected as a potential mate.”
Moms know what’s up, so it’s probably time to buy new underwear, put the smokes down, and try flossing too.
