Abstract
Due to its particular conditions, the Internet increases opportunities for lies and deception compared to offline interactions. In online dating, misrepresentation of the self is an issue of particular relevance. Previous studies have shown that searching for a mate online is accompanied by a high risk of being deceived. This paper focuses on the rarely-considered perspective of the receivers of deception. Our study will first investigate deception patterns of men and women in online dating profiles. In a second step, modes of detecting deception (email, telephone, face-to-face, etc.) are analyzed. Using online survey data of 3,535 users of a German dating site, results show (1) gender-specific deception patterns: Women are more likely to misrepresent their physical attractiveness; men are more likely to misrepresent information on marital status, intended relationship, and height. (2) These gender-specific deception patterns are associated with specific detection modes. Women are more likely to detect specific male deceptions during e-mail communication in an early stage of dating, whereas men are more likely to detect specific female deceptions at the first face-to-face meeting. These results highlight the link between different kinds of deception, characteristics of the receiver and its detection via different communication technologies. Implications of the results for the mating process are discussed.
Highlights
Lies and deception are as integral an element of the social as cooperation and trust
In particular we assessed the relation of gender specific deception patterns and detection modes in the specific communication context of an online dating market
We were able to show that men are more likely to experience female deception with regard to having children, their appearance in a profile picture, and weight, whereas women are more likely to experience male deception about their height, their desired relationship and their marital status
Summary
Lies and deception are as integral an element of the social as cooperation and trust. They occur in everyday life in a variety of social situations, ranging from economic transfers to romantic interactions, and to varying degrees, from negligible cheating to serious fraud. Romantic interactions online are no exception from this development, as they are increasingly discussed with regard to romance scams and identity fraud Whereas the extent of deception and its logic have found major consideration in the online dating literature, research on the detection of deceptive information by deception receivers has been sparse
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