Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 0265407519878787 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Journal of Social and Personal Relationships |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Oct 2019 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- dating profiles
- impression formation
- language errors
- language use
- online dating
- profile picture
Cite this
}
Impression formation on online dating sites : Effects of language errors in profile texts on perceptions of profile owners’ attractiveness. / van der Zanden, Tess; Schouten, Alexander; Mos, Maria; Krahmer, Emiel.
In: Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 03.10.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Impression formation on online dating sites
T2 - Effects of language errors in profile texts on perceptions of profile owners’ attractiveness
AU - van der Zanden, Tess
AU - Schouten, Alexander
AU - Mos, Maria
AU - Krahmer, Emiel
PY - 2019/10/3
Y1 - 2019/10/3
N2 - This article presents two experimental studies investigating the impact of language errors in online dating profiles on impression formation. A first study examined whether language errors have a negative effect on perceptions of attraction and dating intention and whether this effect is moderated by the presence of visual information, that is, the profile picture. This 2 (Language Errors/No Language Errors) × 2 (Visible/Blurred Picture) experiment revealed that language errors negatively affect perceptions of social and romantic attraction and that a visible picture on a profile positively affects perceptions of physical attraction. Study 2 focused on mechanical, rule-based, and informal language errors, which can each be attributed to different personality traits. Mechanical and rule-based errors lead to lower scores on, respectively, perceived attentiveness and intelligence, which in turn lead to lower attraction and dating intention scores. These results highlight the importance of error-free language use as a cue for attractiveness.
AB - This article presents two experimental studies investigating the impact of language errors in online dating profiles on impression formation. A first study examined whether language errors have a negative effect on perceptions of attraction and dating intention and whether this effect is moderated by the presence of visual information, that is, the profile picture. This 2 (Language Errors/No Language Errors) × 2 (Visible/Blurred Picture) experiment revealed that language errors negatively affect perceptions of social and romantic attraction and that a visible picture on a profile positively affects perceptions of physical attraction. Study 2 focused on mechanical, rule-based, and informal language errors, which can each be attributed to different personality traits. Mechanical and rule-based errors lead to lower scores on, respectively, perceived attentiveness and intelligence, which in turn lead to lower attraction and dating intention scores. These results highlight the importance of error-free language use as a cue for attractiveness.
KW - dating profiles
KW - impression formation
KW - language errors
KW - language use
KW - online dating
KW - profile picture
U2 - 10.1177/0265407519878787
DO - 10.1177/0265407519878787
M3 - Article
JO - Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
JF - Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
SN - 0265-4075
M1 - 0265407519878787
ER -