With the power of online dating, it can be tempting to judge potential partners by their dating profiles alone.
Online dating is great. You get to see a person, get a feel for what they're like, and pass an immediate judgment--is this person a potential fit as a partner? Or are they not worth your time?
Many of us browse through dozens of dating profiles before we find one we settle on as a potential match, weeding out candidates based on a bad photo or a cringe-worthy sentence. While this practice seems like it can help you select only the best of the best from the vast pool of online dating candidates, in reality you could be turning down your potential soul mate.
Here are five reasons why you shouldn't immediately reject a person based solely on a dating profile.
1. Your dating profile isn't perfect, either. No matter how long you've spent trying to perfect your online image, there are at least a few quirks that will turn people away. You wouldn't want other people to dismiss you based on those little things, would you?
2. People write fast. Some people don't put much effort into their dating profiles because they aren't sure about the process. Give them a chance--they may surprise you.
3. People lie. That "perfect" profile you found was likely tweaked until it became perfect. It's not a natural product, and some of those "perfect" sentences are less truthful than they appear. An "okay" but sincere profile may be better than a "perfect" but fake one.
4. Conversations are better to get to know someone. You can never get to know someone well through a profile alone. Only through meetings and conversations can you truly get to know somebody.
5. It's a process. You may not even know what you want initially. What better way to get to know yourself and your dating style than to experiment with the options available to you?
So what if their dating profile isn't perfect? If most of what they've written and posted seems decent enough, why not reach out to them? Start a conversation. Once you get a feel for how a person truly interacts, then you can choose whether to pursue them or move on.