The online dating app profile picture has become something of an art form, with everything from carefully lit shots to hugging tigers becoming commonplace.

However, researchers have now revealed that men might be wasting their time.

Experts from the University of Oxford Internet Institute commissioned by dating site eHarmony found that in fact, looking average could be the better option.

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Experts from the University of Oxford Internet Institute commissioned by dating site eHarmony found that in fact, looking average could be the better option for men.

Researchers analysed ten years of data from the site, and found men who rate their looks as five or six out of 10 receive more messages than men who give themselves a 10 out of 10 rating.

For women, the ideal rating is higher, at eight out of 10.

'It's the first time we've been able to measure this,' said Taha Yasseri, professor of computational social science at the University of Oxford Internet Institute, who led the research.

'We knew not being a perfect looking person wasn't key, but this is the first time we've been able to plot it.

'The more attractive you are, the more messages you receive - up to a point.

'If you think you're a perfect 10, the truth is you're not that popular.

'The pattern is the same between the sexes, but for women 8/9 out of 10 in the optimum, for men being a 6/7 is actually optimal.'

Yasseri said users often believed a 'perfect' score told them something about the person.

'I might think they are out out my league, I want someone who is just a bit better looking than me.'

The analysis of messages also found that women were becoming less and less likely to initiate conversations.

Rachel Lloyd of eHarmony said in a Facebook Live broadcast discussing the research 'We wanted to look at ten years of behaviour online, and we found we are still very traditional when it comes to gender roles.

'Men still like to make the firm move online, and women that take the risk and take the first move see a 15% decrease in interest.

She also said both genders don't like it when their matches 'oversubscribe on sexuality' but prefer their partner to be athletic and altruistic.

Men were six per cent more likely to send the first message in 2008, which had risen to 29 per cent this year.

The research also found single people have become less likely over time to see a potential match’s religion, wealth or education as important, though women are more selective across all criteria, including age.

Figures released last year by YouGov found that women preferred men to be average looking rather than extremely attractive.

Its found that seven per cent of women saw their ideal partner as a “perfect 10”, while just over a quarter said they would score a five.

It found men are more focussed on looks when it comes to relationships.