Online Daters: Women’s Desirability Peaks at Age 18; Men’s at 50

A recent study may be an unwelcome surprise for many of you who opt for online dating apps over using a Des Moines matchmaker. The study found that, for online daters, women’s desirability peaks at age 18, while men’s peak at age 50. That’s a huge disparity but something local matchmakers were not surprised to hear. In this industry, what tends to attract our clients to seek a matchmaker in the Midwest is because of the  continual disappointment online dating provides these singles in the area.

Studies have shown that at least 40% of Americans have tried online dating at some point, but many people at a glance are judged unfairly, according to our coaching clients and professional matchmakers.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, look at the “desirability” of male and female users based on how many messages nearly 200,000 users (all seeking opposite-sex partners) got over one month on a popular online dating service. They also looked at whether or not the people sending the message were “desirable” based on the same criteria.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a study has found results like this. In 2010, research from OkCupid found that men from the ages of 22 to 30 were almost completely focused on meeting women who were younger than them. Even more disturbing was a line from an OkCupid blog post: “The median 30-year-old man spends as much time messaging teenage girls as he does women his own age”. Now, it’s no surprise to Des Moines matchmakers that, at least in the local dating world we see every day, men do tend to date younger than them, while women prefer older mates up to a decade their senior. It is rare that a man will date much older than him due to biological aspects and the way their brains are wired. There are always exceptions, of course.

Professional Midwest matchmakers agree this has to do with evolution. Apparently, males seek out younger women for fertility reasons they don’t even realize, and that men could just be more interested in how younger women look.

The study also found that men weren’t as interested in women with graduate degrees. This may be because men think women who are educated with higher degrees have “more work commitment and less relationship and family commitment.” It might signal to them that they could have less time for a serious relationship.

The one silver lining to this research is that it might not be entirely accurate. Professional relationship advice from our Des Moines matchmakers say that what people look for in online dating reflects aspiration more than what they actually want. This is based on the fact that most users in the study messaged people who were more desirable than themselves, representing dating preferences more than reality. In other words, older men could be messaging younger women just to see what would happen, even if they’re not really looking for that kind of long-term relationship. Local matchmakers in Des Moines can help filter through these kinds of situations due to our intensive pre-screeing process, intake interview with each person face-to-face, and background checks.

Are swiping through dating profiles much too exhausting? Call your Des Moines matchmakers at Midwest Matchmaking to help you find the love of your life.  www.midwestmatchmaking.com or (833) 4MW-LOVE.