There have never been as many singles as there are today. According to a study by the Elitepartner dating platform, every third German between the ages of 18 and 65 is single, and every second person under the age of 30 is single.
And Berlin is the uncrowned capital of singles in the country: 36 percent of the capital’s residents are without a partner. Some voluntarily, but many long for a relationship – and search the Internet for the initiation of happiness.
According to surveys, 43 percent of Germans have tried online dating with at least one provider. But regardless of whether the dating site is called Parship, Romeo, Tinder or Lovoo, unfortunately there are lies, fibs and exaggerations everywhere, so that the beams bend.
With more than half of users cheating or providing false information on their profile, cheating is one of the most hated aspects of online dating. Some lies appear again and again – better, you know them.
Dating Lie 1: Height
In our humble experience, women should be skeptical about height information, especially in the range of 1.70 to 1.79 meters. Men who are shorter than 1.70 meters usually do not cheat because it would be too obvious. And if you are taller than 1.90 meters, it is difficult to hide it. But the 1.73 meter man likes to make himself a few centimeters taller online, which the 1.70 meter woman who is looking for a taller partner will notice on the first date.
And, dear liars, something like that doesn’t go down well at all. The provider OkCupid once calculated that its registered members are a full five centimeters taller than the average person – women also like to cheat on their actual size a little bit. One can only speculate about the motives. Anyway, according to OkCupid, taller people had more sex partners on average than short ones.
But whether you want to have sex or not: if the size lie is too obvious, the potential partner turns away before they even go near a bed. Therefore, it is better to use the measuring tape again and not stand on tiptoe.
Dating lie 2: penis size
Yes, there are dating portals where men can provide information about the size of their penis. Very few men would really admit that nature has not given them as lavishly as they would like. But when the time comes, it can hardly be hidden that the great gift of God is in fact only a small present…
Then the size L quickly becomes an M or even an S. Even the hint that the size doesn’t count, but the technology doesn’t really make men happy – even if women like to emphasize that. Honestly, they only do it because they don’t want to hurt their partner. Because the old adage also applies to man’s best piece: size matters!
dpa
Phallic boasts don’t go over well with vegetables or body parts.
Dating lie 3: the weight
It may be that you don’t like stepping on a scale and that you’re okay with writing the weight information on your profile that you last measured ten years ago. However, the fact that in the meantime and especially during Corona you have eaten properly and that the greasy pizzas have left their mark is quickly apparent at the first meeting. Most people can tell the difference between 80 and 120 kilograms and also know that “heavy bones” don’t weigh 40 kilos. In this sensitive area, of course, the denial also takes place towards oneself. But a few love handles are usually no reason to turn your back on the date right away – brazen swindles, on the other hand, are. On that note, it’s worth mentioning that an “athletic” figure is of course a stretchy term, but at the very least, if you’re aiming for an athletic physique, you should use a piece of fitness equipment now and then. Otherwise, the information may cause a lot of letters at first, but you only have a few of them if the woman is expecting Dwayne Johnson and then Mr. Schlaks comes around the corner.
Dating lie 4: the photo
For a time in the 1990s, it was common to stick a photo of a famous Hollywood star in wanted posters and friend albums instead of a photo of yourself. In principle, the same cheating pattern prevails on dating platforms today.
The partner-seeker may at first rub their eyes in amazement when browsing their profile: man, that guy looks like Jake Gyllenhaal! If you’re lucky, the photo is real and the man you’re dating is an attractive double of the smart American. As a rule, however, it is actually Jake Gyllenhaal in the photo – and the person who posted the picture looks completely different or is just a bot …
AFP/Robyn Beck
A date with Jake Gyllenhaal? Nothing will probably come of it.
But people also like to cheat with real photos. So don’t be surprised if you meet the much older self of the person you saw in profile. Michael likes himself so much in his picture from his skiing holiday in 2002!
As a rule of thumb, it might help to remember this correlation: the more attractive an image, the more likely it is to be ancient.
Dating Lie 5: Age
Nowhere is there so much cheating, swindling and lying as in old age – because let’s not fool ourselves: from the age of 40 everyone is responsible for their face and where at 25 a few hours of sleep was enough to iron out the worst party sins, from a certain age you are plasterer -Requires work and expensive cosmetics.
No one likes getting old and it is nothing new that the chances of finding a partner diminish with age. So you can see a phenomenon on many dating portals that real time and age are not subject to the same rules when looking for a partner. In any case, it is not uncommon for people to simply not age on such portals.
Dating Lie 6: The Name
With terms like “Sweety”, “Romeo2000” or “DerTyp” the thing is pretty obvious. Hardly anyone expects real first names or even surnames to be used in online dating. It is up to you whether you want to insinuate serious intentions from someone who calls themselves “Sweety” – but perhaps abbreviated names or middle names are the better and at least not lying choice.
Especially if you have a rare first name and can be found quickly by weirdos on the internet, you have good reasons not to give your real name.
But by the second date at the latest, you should enlighten your counterpart about the truth – and call yourself by name. Another scenario is also possible: Marriage swindlers, married fathers and other scoundrels will not work with real names in the long term either – one of the nastiest traps that unfortunately also entails looking for a partner on the Internet.
Dating lie 7: the relationship status
“I’m single.” You should actually assume that on portals that are dedicated to finding a partner, and yet it’s one of the most common lies in dating.
People who are taken, engaged, married and in an open relationship also like to write the single status in their profile and thus pretend to others that they are alone. This is morally highly questionable – and, moreover, unnecessary. Because if you want to make other than your partner happy (hopefully with mutual consent), you can just as easily communicate this openly and don’t have to break hearts for it.
So all sides know where they stand and nobody causes stress.
Sabine Gudath
100 percent single? Well hopefully!
Even those who are actually single but aren’t looking for anything permanent can deal with it openly. Because contrary to all clichés, women on Tinder are by no means just looking for love. A perfect match can also arise in the search for quick sex – and that’s best when both sides want the same thing.
Dating Lie 8: The Hobbies
In addition to work and income, hobbies are very popular these days when you look at them yourself. Husband and wife want to show that the time outside of earning a living is used sensibly right up to the last minute and that you don’t end up fat and lazy on the sofa after work.
While women refer to fitness and social contacts (“walking, yoga and on the stepper with my cuties, giggle, sweetheart smiley!”), leisure time for men is also characterized by competition. Tough Mudder races are mastered there and under the conquering of the Eiger north face no man actually makes it.
The whole thing is garnished with photos from the second hour in the gym, dressed in lycra and sweat, and captioned with creamy poetry album gibberish: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you” or “Don’t dream your life, live your dream!!11!”
Dating Lie 9: Job and Income
As with hobbies, there are fibs about work and salary that it’s going to be great. Women are usually still quite realistic and tend to stack low, even if they lead medium-sized corporations to the stock exchange. However, it is the gentlemen who really pull it off when it comes to earning a living and the wages.
Every bank branch manager becomes the leader of the pack and, as a rule, no gentleman’s career is complete without a degree from Harvard or the Sorbonne. Short trips are pumped up to years abroad (“I got to know Asian culture and am incredibly grateful for this experience”) and every online seminar in rhetoric automatically becomes manager training in a company of at least global importance.
So much expertise and commitment must of course be paid appropriately – and according to their online presence, men usually earn no less than six figures, excluding commission.