Once upon a swipe: The impact of storytelling on dating profile appeal.

Abstract

Inspired by storytelling's success in promoting brand-customer connections, this research investigated its potential to facilitate relationship formation in the dating market. In three studies, single participants evaluated dating profiles featuring either narrative or nonnarrative self-presentations of a potential partner. These manipulated self-presentations encompassed written texts (Study 1), pictorial representations (Study 2), and a 2 & times; 2 factorial design combining both modalities (Study 3). After viewing the profile, participants reported their empathy for and their romantic interest in the profiled individual. Results revealed that narrative self-presentations intensified empathy, especially when both written and pictorial self-presentations were displayed narratively. This heightened empathy, in turn, predicted greater interest in the profiled individual, including actual efforts to reconnect. These findings demonstrate that the inherent self-promotion in dating profiles, similarly to product marketing, is substantially enhanced by incorporating storytelling-a strategy that fosters deeper initial connection and perceived closeness between potential partners even before they contact each other.