Listen Up,

Gentlemen:
Physical
Attractiveness
Isn’t Everything

By: Allison Arnold, Riley Brown,

Elaina Church, Erica Hsia
Derek, Age 25
Server at Pagliacci Pizza
Anthony, Age 25
Computer Programmer at Microsoft
Zach, Age 24
Sales Associate at Zumiez
Ryan, Age 24
Student at UW Medical School
Introduction

In the context of online dating, when a person’s physical attractiveness is judged

in a split second, we wanted to know:

Do women pick up on wealth cues on Tinder?

 “How does perceived wealth from male
dating profiles influence women’s decisions
to “match” with potential dates?”
Reasoning & Hypothesis
Profiles with strong indicators of wealth will lead to an

increased chance of “matching” than those with no indicators of

wealth, regardless of physical appearance.

Having financial stability is adaptive because it allows for the

potential to support more offspring, afford healthcare, & invest

in children’s attractiveness.
Methods
● Fake male Tinder profiles
● Two surveys -- same photos, different job listings
● 112 female participants between the ages of 18 and 22
● Surveys were randomly distributed to participants

“On a scale of 1-5, how likely are you to swipe right

(yes) on this profile?”
Under Null: No Significant Pattern
These data show the average
likelihood a female is to
swipe right on a profile of a
male with strong wealth
indicators on his profile and
the likelihood she is to swipe
right on a profile with weak
wealth indicators.
Under Hypothesis: Higher Ratings for Wealthy
Profiles
Our hypothesis would
indicate a greater likelihood
to swipe right on a profile
with strong wealth
indicators.
The First Version of the Survey:
Server at Pagliacci Computer Programmer at Sales Associate at Student at UW
Pizza Microsoft Zumiez Medical School
The Other Version of the Survey:
Investment Banker Sales Associate at Aerospace Engineer Valet at Bellevue
at Goldman Sachs Payless Shoes At Boeing Collection
Individual Results
Compiled Results
How did your ratings
from earlier compare to
the average?

Anthony and Ryan were

considered “wealthy,”
Derek and Zach were
considered
“not-wealthy.”
Discussion

Our data support our hypothesis: On average, participants were more likely to
“match” with males who had high-paying jobs.

Wealth indicators seem to affect casual dating choices!

Physical attractiveness did have a strong effect: Anthony received higher ratings on
average than all other males.
Discussion
Would our hypothesis be supported if males rated female
Tinder profiles?
Alternate study: Same format, but have four female photos coupled with various job
descriptions.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
2 versions of survey Cannot guarantee that participants read the profile
descriptions

112 participants
Final Thoughts

In our findings, women selected partners with higher perceived wealth. Do you
think this trend is caused by evolution, shallowness, or an inescapable capitalist
regime?
Any Questions?