Single Men Do This When Dating–and It's Not Working Out
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
When it comes to dating, men aim high—but the dating game has other plans.
This is the conclusion of an international team of researchers who analyzed heterosexual users on a Czech online dating app.
The findings suggest that while men tend to "aim high" in their pursuit of partners, matches are more likely to occur among individuals with more similar levels of perceived desirability.
In their study, published in the journal PLOS One, the team propose that this pattern of mutual interest and desirability is largely a result of rejection rather than an initial preference for similarity.
A man gestures to his date as she appears bored.
A man gestures to his date as she appears bored.
Prostock-Studio/Getty Images
The Dynamics of Online Desirability
The study delved into data from July 2017, involving over 2,000 heterosexual users in Prague and 624 in Brno. The researchers used social network analysis to map "swipes"—or expressions of interest—between users, allowing them to establish a hierarchy of desirability based on how many swipes each user received.
Their analysis, according to the study's abstract, found that "the structure of the networks is considerably hierarchical."
A key finding was that women generally ranked higher in this hierarchy—largely because the app had many more male users than female users.
Because of the uneven gender ratio on the app, and gendered dating norms, men were typically "pursuers", sending more messages than receiving, and women were typically "choosers", receiving more messages than sending.
Men Aim High, Women Match More Similarly
The research also revealed a distinct difference in pursuit strategies between genders.
The researchers found that "men tended to express interest in women who were more desirable than themselves, while women typically pursued men of more similar desirability."
Furthermore, the study's discussion even observed that women "chose slightly less desirable partners on average," though it cautioned that "women's willingness to partner down should be taken with a grain of salt due to the low variability in men's desirability." This contrasts with some prior research that suggested aspirational pursuit for both genders.
However, the picture changed significantly when the researchers looked at successful matches—instances of "mutual swipes," indicating reciprocal interest. These mutual swipes mostly occurred between men and women of more similar desirability.
Rejection Drives Similarity in Matches
This pattern suggests a fascinating dynamic at play in the online dating world.
The authors explained this key takeaway: "Successful matches tend to happen between people with similar levels of desirability," they said.
"This pattern is largely the result of rejection, rather than an initial preference for similarity. The successful matching outcomes tend to align more closely with women's preferences than with men's.
"This likely reflects women's stronger position in the online dating market, as men outnumber women and are often expected to make the first move."
The authors acknowledged limitations of the study, like focusing only on heterosexual users and one type of dating app—future research could expand to include queer users and other platforms to refine these understandings of dating dynamics.
But, still, the study offers valuable evidence for understanding the earliest stages of dating in the digital age—suggesting that reality ultimately brings aspirations back to a more balanced playing field.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about online dating? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Topinkova, R., & Diviak, T. (2025). It takes two to tango: A directed two-mode network approach to desirability on a mobile dating app. PLOS ONE, 20(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327477
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
5 hours ago
- Hypebeast
tm:rw Is Reimagining the Tech Retail Space in NYC
In New York City's Times Square, tm:rw, a 20,000-square-foot tech retail space for 'founders, inventors, and visionaries who believe in shaping what's next,' is set to open in the historic Candler Building on Tuesday, July 29, with a futuristic take on the shopping experience. Founded by Nathalie Bernce and Jacov Nacktailer, the all-new, three-floor shopping concept invites customers to experience cutting-edge products from start-ups to the world's largest consumer conglomerates in a highly immersive environment. Designed in collaboration with Harry Nuriev, the space allows visitors to test out the most up-to-date tech through an ever-evolving lineup of activations and collaborations across several unique spaces. The shop, which features the world's largest 3D retail hologram by HYPERVSN, as well as one of only three Transparent 4K Smart TVs in the world, the LG OLED T, is divided into several sections. 'The Playhouse,' for instance, is a funhouse for e-sports, VR, and video game testing; 'The Studio' offers a living-room karaoke experience by Vizio MicMe; 'The Barber Shop' houses tech-forward mirrors and state-of-the-art grooming products, and 'The Sanctuary' features a best-in-class home audio experience with various speaker systems and music-related devices. 'tm:rw was designed to evoke curiosity and adventure,' said Bernce, the company's CEO. 'This is a space where innovation enhances—not replaces—the human experience. We've built a home for those who think differently, and a destination that invites discovery.' The founders explained that the store is the culmination of almost ten years of reshaping retail stores worldwide, including those for Selfridges in London, KaDeWe in Berlin, and Rinascente in Rome. Their goal with the shop is to create a stage where 'concepts from emerging creators andiconic brands alike can be explored, shared, and brought to life.' 'We aim to inspire,' said Jordan Traxler, Global Head of Marketing. 'What sets tm:rw apart isn't just our carefully curated product offering, it's the elevated treatment of each customer and brand partner alike. tm:rw isn't about spectacle for its own sake; it's about making what's next feel personal, meaningful, and memorable. How does this product enrich my life?' tm:rw officially opens on Tuesday, July 29, in the Candler Building. Take a first look inside the store via the gallery above.
Washington Post
11 hours ago
- Washington Post
Picking up the pace on your walk helps, even for older adults
Any amount of walking is good for your health but picking up the pace has significant benefits — and it's never too late for someone to train to walk faster. In an analysis published in PLOS One earlier this month, researchers found that frail older adults who deliberately walked faster saw a meaningful improvement in the distance they could travel when instructed to walk for six minutes straight. (Frailty is an age-related syndrome that affects 5 to 17 percent of older adults and is characterized by fatigue, a loss of strength and unexplained weight loss.)
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
App Touting Safe Space for Women Hit by Data Breach
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Tea, a dating app created to let women anonymously ask or warn each other about men they have gone out with, suffered a significant data breach, the company revealed in a statement on Friday. The data that was hacked into included 72,000 images, including 13,000 selfies or identity photos used to verify accounts, along with 59,000 other images that were viewable on the app, according to the company's statement. Access to the data was "from prior to February 2024," Tea's statement added. Why It Matters The app, which relies on the storage of images in order for women to review the men they dated and is marketed as a "dating safety tool," recently rocketed to number one on the App Store. The hack raises important questions around data privacy, particularly for services pitched as safe spaces for vulnerable populations. With millions of users—many submitting sensitive photos and documents for safety verification—Tea's breach underscores the risks of online dating platforms and has renewed debate about protections for users within female-centric digital communities. What To Know The company said only users who registered before February 2024 are impacted by the breach, which was linked to archived data that was kept for compliance with law enforcement requests related to cyber-bullying investigations, not active user accounts or recent uploads. Photos cannot be linked to specific users within the app and no email addresses or phone numbers were accessed, according to Tea. The breach stemmed from content that had not yet been migrated to the app's updated secure platform, a transition that occurred in February 2024. Users who joined after that date were not affected, according to Tea. Third-party cybersecurity experts have been engaged, and the company asserted all systems and affected data have now been secured. "We are working around the clock with internal security teams and third-party experts to secure our systems. At this time, we have no evidence that any additional or current user data has been accessed," Tea said in its statement. Some of the exposed images, including license photos, have reportedly circulated on message boards such as 4chan and Reddit, according to a report from the BBC. A woman is holding a smartphone in her hand to type in a phone number, next to her is a laptop on the table. A woman is holding a smartphone in her hand to type in a phone number, next to her is a laptop on the table. Niklas Graeber/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images What People Are Saying Tea said in a post about the data breach Friday: "During our early stages of development some legacy content was not migrated into our new fortified system. Hackers broke into our identifier link where data was stored before February 24, 2024. As we grew our community, we migrated to a more robust and secure solution which has rendered that any new users from February 2024 until now were not part of the cybersecurity incident." What Happens Next? Tea encouraged users to reach out to its support team with any further concerns. The company has engaged in further security measures to prevent any additional breaches.
