Separating fact from fiction: an examination of deceptive self-presentation in online dating profiles.

Full Abstract

This study examines self-presentation in online dating profiles using a novel cross-validation technique for establishing accuracy. Eighty online daters rated the accuracy of their online self-presentation. Information about participants' physical attributes was then collected (height, weight, and age) and compared with their online profile, revealing that deviations tended to be ubiquitous but small in magnitude. Men lied more about their height, and women lied more about their weight, with participants farther from the mean lying more. Participants' self-ratings of accuracy were significantly correlated with observed accuracy, suggesting that inaccuracies were intentional rather than self-deceptive. Overall, participants reported being the least accurate about their photographs and the most accurate about their relationship information. Deception patterns suggest that participants strategically balanced the deceptive opportunities presented by online self-presentation (e.g., the editability of profiles) with the social constraints of establishing romantic relationships (e.g., the anticipation of future interaction).

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Author information

Author/s: Toma, Catalina L (CL); Hancock, Jeffrey T (JT); Ellison, Nicole B (NB);

Affiliation: Department of Communication, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. clt32(-atsign-)cornell.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Personality and social psychology bulletin (Pers Soc Psychol Bull), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Aug; vol 34 (issue 8) : pp 1023-36

Dates: Created 2008/07/02; Completed 2008/09/03;

PMID: 18593866, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Body Height
Body Weight
Deception
Female
Humans
Intention

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