The key to finding love

February 11, 2010

Looking for love in all the right places… and still striking out? The key to attracting a mate may lie in emphasizing your generosity and kindness, according to a just published study conducted at McMaster University.

150 women and 155 men were asked to read short profiles (each accompanied by a photograph) of members of the opposite sex and then asked how willing they’d be to have short- or long-term relationships with them. Some profiles contained interests linked to kindness, such as “I volunteer at a food bank,” and “I enjoy helping people.”

Both men and women were significantly more willing to have long-term relationships with the profiles containing kindness traits than they were to the profiles that were neutral.

That’s not that surprising. One interesting tidbit? Men were much less interested in short-term relationships with altruistic women. (So if you’re not into just having a fling,  ladies, play up all of your charity work!)

Just something to keep in mind on your next speed-dating night or when writing your online profile…

Filed under: Swellbeing

Tags: dating, love, mate, relationships, romance, Valentine's