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
van der Zanden,Tess
Schouten,Alexander
Mos,Maria
Krahmer,Emiel
Abstract
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) x 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.
Description
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2019.
Date
2020-03-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
dating profiles, impression formation, language errors, language use, online dating, profile picture, SELF-DISCLOSURE, REAL ME, STRATEGIES, IMPACTS
Citation
van der Zanden, T, Schouten, A, Mos, M & Krahmer, E 2020, 'Impression formation on online dating sites : Effects of language errors in profile texts on perceptions of profile owners’ attractiveness', Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, vol. 37, no. 3, 0265407519878787, pp. 758-778. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407519878787
License
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess