Science Says Tinder Is Messing Up Your Dating Standards More Than You Think

Everyone has dating deal breakers. Maybe you REFUSE to date short guys. Maybe you ONLY date brunette girls.

But whatever the case may be, a new study found none of that BS matters when you're swiping on dating apps.

Yep, that's right. Even if you absolutely REFUSE to date short guys, you still might be swiping right for them on Tinder.

In the study called "Preference vs Choice in Online Dating," behavioral economists Stephen Whyte and Banno Torgler explored the online dating preferences and actual contact behavior of over 41,000 Australians (ages of 18 to 80), who were using the Australian dating website RSVP.

They compared the participants' "types" to the ones they were actually swiping on and found that the qualities of their dream suitors didn't matter when it came to dating online.

Even those people who say they only date a certain type in their profile bios (you know, the girls who warn guys under 6 feet that they shouldn't bother or the guys who REALLY don't want you to be fat in real life) still don't even follow their own rules when swiping on other people's profiles.

Whyte said, "We looked at whether or not people actually contact people who match what they say is their ideal partner in their profile, and our findings show they don't. Stating a preference for what you are looking for appears to have little to no bearing on the characteristics of people you actually contact."

If anything, we should take these findings as a reassuring beacon of hope that we are not, in fact, doomed to die alone.

Yes, we all have a fantastic ideal that pops into mind when it comes to dating, but this study supported that those preferences also don't get in the way of us giving other perfectly awesome people a chance.

Whyte further explained, "This study provides quite unique findings in that people may state a preference for an ideal partner but they are more than happy to initiate contact with potential love interests that bear no resemblance whatsoever to that 'Mr or Mrs Perfect' they initially think they prefer over all others."

So next time your mom tells you you're still single because you're "too picky," show her this study and tell her to STFU.

Actually — on second thought — don't tell your mom to STFU. She gave you the gift of life. Show her some respect.

Citations: Online daters ignore wish list when choosing a match (ScienceDaily)