Dating deception: Gender, online dating, and exaggerated self-presentation

This study examined how differences in expectations about meeting impacted the degree of deceptive self-presentation individuals displayed within the context of dating. Participants filled out personality measures in one of four anticipated meeting conditions: face-to-face, email, no meeting, and a control condition with no pretense of dating. Results indicated that, compared to baseline measures, male participants increased the amount they self-presented when anticipating a future interaction with a prospective date. Specifically, male participants emphasized their positive characteristics more if the potential date was less salient (e.g., email meeting) compared to a more salient condition (e.g., face-to-face meeting) or the control conditions. Implications for self-presentation theory, online social interaction, and online dating research will be discussed.

► We examined deceptive self-presentation in dating.
► Participants expected to meet a date: face-to-face, email, or not at all.
► There was a control condition with no pretense of dating.
► Men self-presented deceptively when expected a date.
► Women did not engage in deceptive self-presentation.