Online Dating Profile
Name: John Doe
Age: 25
Height: 5’6
Ethnicity: Black American
Occupation: Journalist
Education level: Master’s Degree
Religion: Christian
Political views: None
City and State: Los Angeles
What I’m most passionate about:
I am passionate about travelling and taking pictures of the places I visit to keep memories for my kids and myself.
Activities I enjoy:
I love dancing so much, and this is more fun when I have a partner who loves vas well, Painting is something I enjoy too even though not so good at it it’s so relaxing. I also have an interest in almost all kinds of music, country included. Music makes me so emotional because they tend to describe how a person feels. I am a straightforward person, but I hate rude people because I do consider everyone equal, and one should not treat another person any worse due to some difference.
Physical description:
I am in good shape, meaning I can participate in sports, run, and walk a considerable distance but cannot go beyond five kilometres. My hair looks good, and I smell good too. Another of my best features is my smile, which is so contagious.
My friends describe me as:
Outgoing, funny, sporty, and smart.
The most important things I’m looking for in a person:
The things I desire in a partner is that they be shorter than me, a lover of jokes and adventures. One with a kind heart and that can be there in terms of happiness and sadness. They should have a large family and also be willing to have one of their own with at least two kids. Honest and with the will to be a partner in crime.
Ideal physical qualities of a potential partner:
Should be an African American, short, have big eyes and a bright smile. The person should be well kept, not lazy, able to go out and do things and dresses casually but knows how to dress for special occasions.
Deal breakers:
Someone too tall, bad-tempered, rude, and have a history of cheating in the previous relationship.
Post Profile Wrap-up
In 100-250 words for each of the following questions, explain the following:
- Describe the social psychological theories of attraction you see reflected in online dating profiles like this one.
The social psychological theories of attraction reflected in this online dating profile include physical attractiveness where the person’s physical attractive features almost match that of the preferred partner like the element of being fit and able to be involved in sports, having a bright smile. Another theory is that of proximity where the person prefers to get a partner who is also a black American, hence the same ethnicity (Huston, 2013). The theory of similarity manifests where the preference of a partner in the case study is an outgoing person. At the same time, the guy has a friendly character. Describe at least three concepts related to mating and attraction that are used in online dating profiles.
- Describe at least three concepts related to mating and attraction that are used in online dating profiles.
One of the ideas about mating and attraction is the theory of natural selection, where most men prefer to mate with women that also look forward to bearing kids, can give birth to healthy kids, and able to feed them (Li et al., 2013). While women go for men who are ready to become fathers, stick around and be right providers to the kids. Another one is that of social homogamy, which implies that most people tend to prefer dating those whom they share with a similar social background (Cook et al., 2013). Lastly is the ideal mate theory, which works on the basis that a person bases his or her attraction on the image of a perfect partner that they form unconsciously with their meanings of characteristics.
- Reflect on the choices you made in completing this profile. Why did you make the choices you did? Connect your profile back to the social-psychological concepts related to mating and attraction.
The choices I made in filling the online dating profile have relations with social-psychological effects considered when choosing a partner. Similarity and proximity are, for example, fundamental aspects in the choice of a spouse. It holds because having similar interests will always motivate a relationship, and most people consider them the same for compatibility reasons. An attraction will, therefore, begin from that aspect of similarity and not the physical perspective. So, in my opinion, physical allure is not bound to remain forever and might fade with time, more so when the relationship reaches the stage of testing the personality of every partner. Still, people bound with similar values and interests are more likely to stay together.
References:
Huston, T. L. (Ed.). (2013). Foundations of interpersonal attraction. Elsevier.
Li, N. P., Yong, J. C., Tov, W., Sng, O., Fletcher, G. J., Valentine, K. A., … & Balliet, D. (2013). Mate preferences do predict attraction and choices in the early stages of mate selection. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105(5), 757.
Cook, K. S., Cheshire, C., Rice, E. R., & Nakagawa, S. (2013). Social exchange theory. In Handbook of social psychology (pp. 61-88). Springer, Dordrecht.