Online Daters Willing to Embrace Shady Behaviour

As risky as it can be to go out on a blind date, or commit to a romantic get together with someone you met at random, the online world is arguably the toughest dating terrain to navigate. With so much room for creating a profile with airbrushed, well-angled photos; personality falsities; and embellished accomplishments, it can be tough to decipher between an honest online dater and one whose lies could be burying an off-putting past.

In a recent study conducted by ConsumerAffairs.com, a group of 400 online daters participated in a survey where they were asked to disclose which items of a shady past (and sometimes, present) they’d be willing to put up with.

While it’s easy to assume that online dating websites are filled with those who are single and willing to mingle, there are also married folks looking to the digital world for extra affection. That may sound immoral to some, but 32% of men and 23% of women wouldn’t immediately abandon the idea of having an intimate relationship with a married person.

If an astute online dater likes to perform background checks on potential partners (14% of men and 11% of women do this, says the study) before getting too deep, this could prove deadly for those with a wild – even criminal – streak.

For someone that thought running around in public naked would be great for a reputation, 68% of women surveyed said that such a past instance is a deal breaker. Only 54% of men felt the same way.

Meanwhile, public drunkenness (58% of women, 51% of men) and being nabbed for possession of a controlled substance (66% of women, 58% of men), are also quite the dating deal breaker. Sharing suggestive content on social media also proved to be a bit of a turn off, with 58% of women and 42% of men not approving of such an indiscretion.

Perhaps most shockingly, an interesting percentage of those polled wouldn’t be adverse to dating someone who has been convicted of murder (17% of men, 10% of women), or attempted murder (16% of men and 12% of women.)

What can be learned from this study?

Well, it appears that a fair number of the online daters polled are very open-minded and willing to take chances in their love lives. That said, if you are an online dater and don’t want to encounter any unnecessary drama in your life, be sure to be very diligent during your search for love.

Sure, some may find it strange of you to be asking so many questions during the ‘getting to know’ stage of online chatting, but at the end of the day, opening up that floodgate early could lead to the type of romance and happiness you’ve been seeking.

-Adam Grant