If you are using online dating sites in an attempt to find a date/fling/partner/spouse, then this article is fascinating. Using data mined from 7,000 profile photos, the author demonstrates which photos give the best results:

The 4 Big Myths of Profile Pictures

To write this piece, we cataloged over 7,000 photographs on OkCupid.com, analyzing three primary things:

» Facial Attitude. Is the person smiling? Staring straight ahead? Doing that flirty lip-pursing thing?
» Photo Context. Is there alcohol? Is there a pet? Is the photo outdoors? Is it in a bedroom?
» Skin. How much skin is the person showing? How much face? How much breasts? How much ripped abs?

In looking closely at the astonishingly wide variety of ways our users have chosen to represent themselves, we discovered much of the collective wisdom about profile pictures was wrong.

Not surprisingly, there are gender differences. For example, if you are a man, according to the data, you have the best odds of being contacted if:

- You do not make eye contact with the camera and you do not smile

On the other hand, if you are a woman:

- You make eye contact with the camera and make a flirty face or smile

Some of the data reveals things you would never expect.

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