Two math nerds from Harvard got the brilliant idea to launch an online dating site that finds matches based on quizzes given to users. OkCupid now has 3.5 million users and billions of data points, which the co-founders use to uncover fascinating patterns about human behavior.

Here’s one: They discovered that the more men disagree about a woman’s looks the more they end up liking her.

Take two random women, equally rated as good-looking. Well what they noticed is that one of these women might receive 90 messages in a month where as the other only receives 30. Why?

The math revealed that those women who received the most messages had more variation in individual ratings of her looks. Meaning, some men would rate her as ugly and other men would rate that same woman as super hot.

It is the wide variation in ratings that is correlated to receiving nearly triple the number of messages than a woman who is considered universally cute.

OkCupid’s math lords theorize that maybe men think they have a better chance with the more extremely rated woman, since there is something about her that is only attractive to some men, hence less competition. Maybe. Whatever the reason, the ultimate advice to single women: Embrace that unique trait. It’s what is going to get you the attention.

—Christie Nicholson