The universal human pastime is dishing out unsolicited advice. 

Whether it’s the best-alleged breastfeeding technique, which car to buy, or the best way to poach an egg, humans love offering up their advice regardless if it’s asked for.

When it comes to dating, humans are all too ready to vomit a slew of cliche dating advice. 

Don’t call her for three days, always pay for the first date, neg her a little bit -yadayadayada. 

Just because your buddy has a penis doesn’t make him a dating maven. His success in the dating world also doesn’t qualify him as an expert. The best dating advice is informed by reliable data. If each dating problem could be remedied by examining the numbers, living the romantic life would be as smooth as Ryan Gosling’s pickup lines in Crazy Stupid Love.

While we don’t have data to address every dating woe, we have found an abundance of online dating statistics, that can be used to amend your online dating practices. Together we’ll broach some of the most significant online dating statistics, figure out what they mean and how they can be harnessed to improve your dating life. 

Online Dating Statistics to Hack Online Dating

1. 30% Of Americans Have At One Time Used A Dating App

According to a recently published Pew Research study, 30% of adult Americans have used dating applications. This number, however, fluctuates depending on which demographic is examined. 

48% of Americans ages 18-29, 38% of Americans between the ages of 30-49, and 19% of 50-64-year olds have downloaded a dating application.

In 2015, Pew found that only 15% of Americans had ever used an online dating service. In just 5 years, the number of users has tripled. 

What This Means For You

These stats indicate that online dating isn’t just a fad that will die off in a few years; online dating is here to stay. Expect online dating numbers to keep growing in the years to come. As the dating trends shift and more and more people accept that online dating is the new norm, eschewing the digital dating world might render you single. 

Hate it or love it, meeting your next girlfriend online is just how it’s done. Download the dating app that’s right for you, upload some pics, and start swiping. Refusing to follow suit only increases your odds of remaining single. 

2. Men Are Most Desirable Online At The Age Of 40-50

According to a 2014 study published in Science Advances, men only get more attractive with age. 

Women reach the summit of desirability at 18, but men on the other hand only get more attractive as they age. The study came to this conclusion after analyzing the profiles of more than 186,000 heterosexual men and women based in major metropolitan cities such as NYC, Seattle, Boston, and Chicago. 

While a man’s desirability peaks and begins to decrease after 50, it hits a plateau at the age of 40, experiencing only a negligible increase from age 40 to 50. 

Other key findings from the study include: 

• NYC is a man’s market, with there being more single women than men living in NYC

• Men that sent “happier” messages didn’t have markedly more success than men that sent non-happy messages

• Almost no one messages a less desirable user

• Higher education translates to a higher response rate

What This Means For You

While dating apps are most used by young people, it’s older men that have the most success. Don’t cancel your dating app subscriptions now that you’re in your 40s. On the contrary, 40-50 is the online dating prime for men. 

3. 75% of Men Message “Hi” Or “Hi” Variation

Hello is the lowest form of communication. 

Messaging a woman “hello” or “hi” is a request to begin a conversation but in itself is a pitiful dating app conversation starter. It’s almost the equivalent of poking someone on FB. It indicates that you want their attention, nothing more. 

Hi doesn’t suffice as an opening message on such competitive dating apps. Women are being bombarded by messages from strangers on a daily basis. In the previously mentioned study that found a man’s desirability peaked at age 50 researching also profiled the most popular female user on an unnamed dating application.

Researchers found that this 30-year-old NYC woman received on average one message every 30 minutes which comes out to about 1,504 messages every month. 

What This Means For You

With competition so high, you’ll have to do something special to stand out. You can’t afford to message hi or a variation of hi and expect a response. 

The best opening messages are questions that can’t be answered with a yes or no. These questions should also make note of something she mentioned in her profile. Women are much more likely to respond to a stranger if he shows interest in something she enjoys. 

Before sending a message, scan her profile for material you can address. Read her bio to find out what her hobbies are. Once a little research has been done, use what you’ve learned to craft a high-quality opening message. 

4. Only 50% Of Tinder Users Have Gone Out With A Match

Out of all the online dating statistics reported in this article, this one a bit shocking to me.

With more than 7 million users in the US alone, Tinder is by far the most downloaded app in the US. By just because it’s being downloaded, doesn’t mean it’s being used as intended. 

Dating apps like Tinder are more often than not used more so as games than as a viable means to find a romantic partner. This claim especially rings true after the release of a 2019 study showing that 50% of Tinder users have never met one of their matches in person.

Tinder can self aggrandize all it wants by claiming to have created 30 billion matches worldwide, but that doesn’t mean matches translate to dates. The truth of the matter is that Tinder is a dating app that wasn’t created to find you love. It was created to dangle the possibility of a hot date in front of you, rendering you a horny swiper on a hamster wheel.

What This Means For You

Online dating doesn’t have to be the end all be all of dating. Just because most people now seem to meet their partners through dating apps, doesn’t mean you have to use these apps to find love. There are a host of other social channels you can tap in order to meet other singles, you just need to dig a little.

Here are a few old schools ways singles are still meeting:

• Through friends, or a friend of a friend

• Co-ed kickball league

• Yoga or cycling class

• Rock climbing Meetup group

• Tuesday salsa class

• At your buddies next party

• At work

• FB events

• Dog parks

• Speed dating events

• Take a language class

It’s easy to become complacent and lean too heavily on online dating to mine dates. Start sharpening your social skills by meeting women IRL. 

5. Selfies Are 40% Less Likely To Receive A Like On Hinge Than The Average Photo

In 2017 Hinge released data from a massive study that measured the effectiveness of certain types of Hinge photos. In their research, they found that while selfies are quite popular on dating apps, they don’t often receive much love. In fact, uploading a selfie to your roster of photos is actually hurting your odds of grabbing a like or a match rather than helping them. 

Selfies are a dime a dozen. Everyone has selfies on their phone because they’re so easy to take. But its that ease and that prevalence that turns other daters off. Single women swiping through dating apps want men that stand out. A selfie is too accessible and suggests that the picture taker might not have too many friends. 

What This Means For You

Ditch the selfie.

Sorry if you have hundreds of selfies to choose from, they’re not helping your cause. Luckily, the Hinge study offers findings that will help bolster the appeal of your dating profile. Here are some of its most useful findings:

• Looking ahead makes you 102% more likely to receive a like

• Standing alone increases the likelihood of receiving a like by 11%

• Men are 80% less likely to receive a like on beach-related photos

• Sports-related photos receive 45% more likes than the average Hinge photo

• Users with candid photos are 15% more desirable 

• Photos of users donning glasses are 41% less likely to receive a like than the average photo

6. There Are More Than 2,500 Dating Websites in the US Alone

There are more than 7,500 dating websites worldwide. Online dating is now a $1.8 billion a year industry. These two online dating statistics shocked the hell out of me. 

When we think online dating, the apps that come to mind are generally Tinder and Match. But as the stat above claims, there are over 2,500 dating websites in the US, and there are only more to come. The industry isn’t slowing down. 

So with dating apps abounding, how are you to know which one’s right for you?

What This Means For You

Each dating app targets a specific user. Tinder is made for users 18-25 years old whereas Hinge is pitched as the app that “designed to be deleted” and thus is used by older singles. Match is most used by those 35 and older whereas POF is used by both the young and old alike. 

With a growing heap of apps on the market, it’s becoming ever more difficult to discern which one’s right for you. Luckily we’ve prepared this handy guide so help you determine which app suits your needs. 

It’s recommended that you download and use more than one dating application. Each app is unique in its number of users, user demographics, where it’s used most, etc.. This being the case, there’s no single app that can check off all of your boxes. Using more than one app also ensures that your profile’s being seen by more women and are securing more overall matches. 

7. Sameer Chaudhry’s 4,000 Study-long Deep Dive 

In 2015, Sameer Chaudry, MD co-authored a paper that found the best practices when it came to creating an online dating profile, selecting matches, and interacting with matches among other findings. 

While researching his paper, Doctor Chaudry examined more than 4,000 studies from fields like neuroscience and psychology to a range of other disciplines as well. This is thought to be one of the most comprehensive studies of online dating to date. 

What This Means For You

It means that Sameer did the heavy lifting. He debunked the myths and found the keys to success so that you don’t need to apply trial and error to figure out what works. Here are some of his most impactful findings. 

Honesty First

The doctor mutilated the myth that opposites attract. Lying about your religion, hobbies, or political beliefs to get the girl will only find you temporary satisfaction. Long-lasting relationships survive because the two parties share a great number of qualities and similarities.

Projecting a false image of yourself will delay the time it takes to find a meaningful partner. Be as forthright as possible by posting an honest portrayal of yourself on your dating profile. 

Be Succinct

With so many dudes to scroll through its doubtful that she’ll spend more than 10 seconds reading your profile. Keeps things short and sweet enough to swipe right on. 

Another interesting finding on online dating profiles is that profiles with a 70-30 ratio do the best. The 70 pertains to speaking about yourself, whereas the 30 is in regards to telling the reader about what you’re looking for. 

Keep Convos Short And Unique

Chaudry advises that correspondence should last no longer than two weeks before both parties meet up. In my almost 10 years coaching men, I’d advise waiting no longer than a week. More than a week and you’ll lose a little bit of your luster. She’ll just move on to the next shiniest dude from Tinder that sparks her interest. 

It’s also recommended that you nab a phone number or ask her out with a TDL as soon as possible. Remember that the purpose of using online dating apps is to actually go on a date IRL. You don’t need a digital pen pal and neither does she. 

Now that you’re equipped with this new data, it’s time to start stacking those matches… or is it?

I understand that navigating through the un-chartered waters of online dating can be daunting. The data provided still doesn’t address the many nuances of both online and dating IRL. To do that you’ll need to talk to a professional like myself. 

As a professional dating coach, I’ve helped countless men fine-tune their dating skills and find a partner they’re deserving of. Book a new client 1-on-1 Skype session with me to reboot your dating practices.