Choosing the right photo to represent your dating profile can be a struggle. Do you want to look active? Adventurous? Or maybe talented? No matter what you choose, a recent study suggests you should go for open, expansive body language.


The study, led by Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk and Dana R. Carney at the University of California, Berkeley, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that people using expansive body language positions in their photos were selected more often than when they used contractive postures. For example, holding your arms up in a “v” or reaching out to grab something will look more attractive than crossing your arms, hunching your shoulders, curling up into a ball. The results suggest using open body language is particularly effective for men who want to look more attractive, but is still beneficial to women. The researchers believe the openness of certain poses also imply a certain level of dominance, suggesting on some level that you have something to share and that you’re willing to share it. So, use your arms, strike an open pose, and avoid closing yourself off in your dating profile photos.


Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance | Proceedings of the National Academy of Science via Business Insider