On online dating services such as Tinder, Badoo or Bumble, we make our choices based on the so-called «visual filter». Based on the visual cues in photos, we often filter people out — or, conversely, linger on someone to study their profile more closely and take a chance on getting to know its owner better. The visual filter model gained wide popularity thanks to its user experience convenience. That is precisely why most dating services built on this model hold a dominant position in the market.
However, no one previously could have guessed that it also leads to an imbalance in online dating. Let's figure out why:
— When it comes to finding a potential partner, women are extremely selective and serious in their intentions. Most of them, once given access to the most attractive men, show a preference for them alone. The imbalance in the distribution of attention becomes very apparent: while 10% of guys are overwhelmed with heightened attention, the remaining 90% experience a clear deficit.
— By contrast, contrary to the popular belief that guys love with their eyes, they are still not that selective, so they are ready to chat with an average of 50% of women. Men do not focus their attention on a particular category of «the very best». Some even swipe right on everyone in the hope of getting as many matches as possible, so they can then choose among them who to start a conversation with. Most women do not go without attention.
— The imbalance also arises because of the differing goals of the female and male audiences of online dating. According to research, the vast majority of women (about 74%) pursue a specific goal online — to find a serious relationship, that is, with the aim of starting a family. But by focusing their attention only on the most attractive 10% of the male audience — men spoiled by female attention — they end up disappointed, concluding that all men are only interested in sex.
— Those 10% of men are, to some extent, capable of entering a serious relationship, but only for a short time. Aware of how in-demand they are, they cannot concentrate on developing a relationship with just one woman. Some even use the service as a source of a quick dopamine hit — to stroke their ego with a large number of matches.
So, with the development of online dating services, we gain new opportunities to qualitatively improve our personal lives. However, their algorithms are still far from perfect. Because of this, many services remain far from the goal they were designed for — or have simply forgotten it altogether. That is why, today, a happy encounter on services built on the visual filter model is more of a lucky coincidence than a pattern.
The secret of choice
Imprinting is a phenomenon in which an impression or image perceived during a certain critical period of life becomes firmly fixed in the mind and subsequently influences our lives.
The imprinting effect is linked to choosing a partner in accordance with an image that already exists in the subconscious. The traits of the sought-after partner are imprinted in our minds from childhood, when we pay attention to someone who displayed the most vivid and significant qualities for us. This is why women often explain their choice of partner through the image of their father, or of whoever played that role or was most often around them in childhood.
However, imprinting is not the same as the similarity between the ingrained image and potential partners. Its essence runs much deeper. To sufficiently reveal this image, it must be brought up from the subconscious, correctly interpreted, and prepared for comparison.
For a long time, the scientific community believed that the imprinting effect applied only to the animal world. However, the latest research confirms that the phenomenon applies to humans as well. We, for our part, are also studying it carefully and conducting our own scientific research.
How is imprinting connected to online dating?
We hope it is now clear to you how the mechanisms of imprinting contribute to the most relevant choice of partner. Nevertheless, for some reason, few have yet traced this connection and used it to explain the system of preferences in partner selection.
We are among the first to have discovered this connection and to strive to project scientific ideas onto everyday life by integrating the mechanisms of imprinting into an online dating service. Previously, similar services used such mechanisms only partially and mostly by intuition. Unison Dating applies them consciously — imprinting has become the core idea and foundation of our development. Thanks to a deep study and understanding of the phenomenon, we designed our service, which aims to qualitatively improve the online dating experience!
The algorithm has so far been launched in test mode and is still learning, but it is already bringing people together based on imprints.