Want to pick the best photos for your dating profile? Wondering what key things make dating profile photos more attractive? And how to tap into these, to really attract the partner you desire? Then you’ve come to the right place.
See – believe it or not – but dating apps are NOT all about looks. Yes physical appearance and how attractive a person finds you, will of course come into play in determining which way they will swipe initially.
But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, you want to find someone who finds you beautiful, right? Everyone deserves that!
So once that initial attraction is out the way – you’re left with what makes dating profile photos more attractive.
After all, there’s multiple things that play into attraction. It’s why you can find someone more attractive when dating – even if they’re not your usual set “type.”
And so what we’re going to home in on here, is what specifically men will be looking for, when looking at your dating app photos, beyond your physical appearance alone – what tends to appeal to them. (Generally speaking of course.)
Why It’s Helpful To Know What Makes Dating Profile Photos More Attractive
This info is seriously under-rated and super-helpful to be reminded of.
After all, if you can really optimise and improve your dating profile, to attract the RIGHT people, you’ll save yourself so much time (and in many cases, a whole lot of heartache too!)
By knowing what makes dating profile photos more attractive you can STAND OUT to the right people, and forget about the “wrong” ones, who aren’t looking for anything serious or who won’t match your vibe.
It’s a seriously smart move. (Trust me, I did this when I was single too!)
7 Things That Make Dating Profile Photos More Attractive
So, what is it exactly that makes dating profile photos more attractive? Well –
1) Smiling In Your Photos
A recent fMRI study found that “viewing attractive faces activated the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex, a region involved in processing sensory rewards. What’s more interesting however, is the activity in this region was even stronger when the face in focus wore a smile.”
And this isn’t the only research that backs this up! Smiling is seen as more attractive, time and time again.
Let’s also not forget that smiling is a universal language that communicates happiness, trustworthiness, positivity and approachability. When you smile on your dating app photos, you’re making it far easier for someone to feel comfortable and confident in messaging you.
So there’s many benefits – even aside from the fact that smiling is undoubtably one of the things that make dating profile photos more attractive.
2) Having a Photo Of You Genuinely Laughing!
On a similar note, laughter is undeniably attractive. Women love to laugh and men love to make women laugh. In fact, laughter is pretty irresistible to men. It makes them feel good.
So by including a photo of you having a good-old belly laugh, it sparks their interest, as well as reflecting your nature and giving a little snippet into your fun-loving personality.
3) Avoiding Filtered, Overly Edited Photos
Now it may be true that filters do (or at least, can) make someone be seen as more attractive – by typical beauty standards that is, anyway.
But, what you cannot forget is:
- You’re looking for someone to fall in love with YOU, for who you are and how you actually look.
- Your matches are only going to see you in person if it goes well anyway, so there’s no point hiding your true appearance behind a filter.
- You are beautiful enough without the filters, trust me.
Talking of trust – photos that are, very clearly, filtered, can actually reduce trustworthiness, which in turn ends up making you being seen as less attractive to potential matches.
Catfishing is a real problem on dating apps, and if it looks like you’re trying to manipulate your appearance, that can lead to a strong “swipe left” from the get-go.
Ultimately, using filters on dating apps are just not worth it. Instead, try to work on feeling confident in the way that you look, and reaching the point of true self-acceptance.
Not only will it really help you, but it’ll also make you more attractive to men. After all, confidence is one of the qualities men really value in women. Talking of qualities…
4) Showing Your Hobbies & Interests
Dating app photos that add personality to your profile by really showing your hobbies and interest, are certainly seen as more attractive when swiping.
They provide opportunities for potential matches to connect with you on a deeper level when they find similar things that they enjoy, too. It’s also far more powerful to “prove it” with a photo rather than write it, too.
For example – anyone can say “I love dogs”, but having an adorable photo of you snuggled into your furry friend is going to take that to the NEXT LEVEL.
In fact, it’ll be the fastest way to a guys heart! 😉
5) Focusing On Photos That Portray Your Personality
Talking of showing not telling, if you want the RIGHT person to be attracted to your dating profile photos, all you have to do is pick a selection of snaps that best reflect you and your personality.
After all – like I said – the initial attraction is either going to be there or not, so it’ll then be more about what your potential matches are looking for in a partner, personality wise.
… And we all know personality traits can significantly influence how others perceive your attractiveness beyond physical appearance!
Dr Thomas Smithyman delved into that in this video. (It’s a pretty fascinating watch!) Here, check it out –
Ultimately What It Comes Down To…
Attractive personality traits include things like: confidence, kindness, optimism, honesty, loyalty, passion, intelligence, humour (remember, we told you to show photos of you laughing and smiling?!) etc.
It’s a pretty long list, but that’s a good thing. It means you have plenty of options and opportunities to demonstrate the different sides of who you are as a person, in order to best tap into this.
So ask yourself – “What makes me, me? And how can I best get this across in a picture?”
Some examples of putting this into practice may be:
- Showing your PASSION, with a photo of you doing something you’re passionate about. E.G. Creating art!
- Showing your KIND, GENTLE nature, with a candid photo of you captured at a wedding, speaking to someone or getting a little emotional as you see your bestie walking down the isle!
- Showing your ADVENTUROUS side with a photo of you hiking, traveling or doing a different activity.
Not only will these things make your dating profile photos seem more attractive, but they’ll make it far easier for someone to start an interesting conversation with you too. There’s more things for them to pick up on.
6) Focusing on Natural Photos
Selfies, undeniably, have an allure. We think that if we can capture ourselves at “the right angle”, in the right light, with the right expression (that we’ve attempted to GET right, 1000 times), we’ll be onto a winner.
But there’s actually many different reasons to stop overusing selfies on dating apps – reasons which also relate to why they DON’T actually end up making you be seen as more attractive.
Uh huh, you may also be surprised to hear that the science behind the selfie shows that – actually – it’s never going to make you look as good as you do in person, or as good as you look in a photo taken of you, a little further away.
(In essence, it’s down to the distance from the camera and the lens.)
Selfies, taken at close range, can distort facial features, making them appear larger or more pronounced, and the close-up perspective can also lead to a distorted sense of proportions.
Natural photos, taken from a greater distance, offer a more accurate representation of a person’s features, therefore leading to more attractive photos for your dating profile.
(I know, it took me some time to believe this one too!)
Does this mean you have to scrap the selfies completely if you want an attractive mix of dating app photos? No way! At the end of the day, you still need to choose photos that make YOU feel good too.
But maybe try to swap a few photos for some more candid snaps taken by others, or get outdoors with your own tripod. There’s plenty of ways around it, you see.
7) Looking Directly At The Camera
Last but not least, I want to encourage you to have at least one photo of you looking directly into the camera lens. This works especially well for your first dating app profile photo at the top, actually.
If you can combine a “direct eye contact” camera snap, with some of the other elements listed above then… Boy, will you see your “swipe rights” start to go up!
Why? Well because when you look directly at the camera, it creates a direct connection between you and the person viewing the picture. It fosters a sense of engagement and intimacy, and is the closest thing to you looking directly into their eyes…
This “eye contact”, even simply through a phone, is pretty powerful. It makes you be seen as more confident, more engaging, more enticing and ultimately – more attractive as a result.
What To Do Next: Actionable Takeaways
So, now you know what makes dating profile photos more attractive – generally speaking anyway – you can:
- Have a scroll through your current dating app photos and make some notes about what you DO and DON’T like about your current photo selection; what you think it DOES and DOESN’T portray or suggest about you; and what WILL and WON’T be seen as particularly attractive to the right person.
- Jot down notes as you go along of any personal improvements that initially jump out to you when it comes to your current dating app photo selection. Just make sure you’re not too harsh or cruel. Give yourself the love & compassion you deserve. Do this as if you were doing it for your best friend. 🫶
- Then, scroll through the photos you have on your phone and pick out some potentials that could be swapped, to fill the “gaps” you’re looking for, or “tick off” more boxes when it comes to making your profile be seen as more attractive.
After that, give yourself a genuine pat on the back, as you’ve just taken a real positive step forward in improving your dating app profile and – ultimately – attracting the love you deserve.
If you found this valuable, you can continue on with our 30 Day Dating App Challenge. (It’s a real game-changer, and packed full of tutorials like this one!)
That’s All For This One
If you’re feeling unsure about your dating app photo selection, or how to optimise your dating app profile – then be sure to let me know in the comments box below.
There’s a “real person” behind this screen. As a Professional Dating Coach, I’m fully committed to helping you find love, and I am here, on hand, to answer any questions you may have.
SO, DROP A COMMENT BELOW NOW!
Good luck! Wishing you all the best.
Love,
Ell_xx
