10 Dating Profile Photo Tricks That Work & 10 That Make People Look Less Trustworthy
What a Quick Scroll Decides
People tend to judge a dating profile by its photos first. According to one photo-rating company, 54 percent of men's dating photos and 35 percent of women's show no smile at all. Researchers have tested everything from smile type to camera distance to head tilt. Here are 10 photo tricks that work and 10 that make people look less trustworthy.
1. A Smile That Looks Genuine
A 2014 trust-game study found that smiles raters judged genuine were also rated trustworthy. Players with genuine-looking smiles sent more money back, so the impression tended to hold up. A 2026 study found that even posed smiles raised trust, and the stronger a viewer's mimicry of the smile, the higher the trust.
2. An Open-Mouth Smile for Women
One photo-rating company's data on women's dating photos showed that an open-mouth smile raised trustworthiness ratings by about 1.6 points on a 10-point scale compared with no smile. Closed-mouth smiles came out slightly more attractive. The data are correlational, so women who smile may also take better photos in general.
3. Eye Contact With the Camera
OkCupid's 2010 analysis of 7,140 users found that women who flirted directly into the camera drew the most messages and women who looked away drew the fewest. Men were the exception, since those who looked away without smiling did best. A separate rating study found that the one harmful combination for men was no smile and no eye contact.
4. Letting Someone Else Pick the Photo
In a 2017 study, 102 students each supplied 12 Facebook photos, and 160 strangers rated every image. Photos the students chose for themselves made less favorable impressions than photos picked by strangers. That suggests a friend may choose better than the person pictured.
5. A Dog in the Frame
In a 2008 French field experiment, about 10 percent of 240 women gave a man their number when he was alone, and about 30 percent did when he had a dog. A 2015 survey of 1,210 pet owners found that 22 percent of men and 6 percent of women had used a pet to attract dates.
6. A Group Photo, Alongside a Solo One
Faces looked more attractive in a group than alone across several 2013 experiments, though the boost was small, roughly a move from the 49th to the 51st percentile. Viewers seem to average the faces in a group, which makes each one look closer to average. Bumble says group photos are fine as long as the profile also has solo ones.
7. A Slight Squint
A rating study of 800 headshots scored each photo on three traits. A slight squint raised competence ratings by 0.33 points and likability by 0.22. A defined shadow along the jawline raised competence as well.
8. A Bust or Torso Crop
Raters in that same study of 800 headshots preferred torso and bust shots to other framings. Face-only close-ups lowered likability by 0.21 points. Full-body shots lowered competence and influence ratings by 0.29 points each.
9. Shirtless Photos for Men With Well-Built Bodies
OkCupid's analysis covered single-photo profiles from users ages 18 to 32. Well-built men did better shirtless, though the advantage faded as the men got older. Outfits more dressed up than a simple collared shirt performed poorly.
10. A Smile for Men, Open or Closed
Rating data on men's dating photos showed that a closed-mouth smile raised trustworthiness by about 1.9 points compared with no smile, and an open-mouth smile raised it by about 2.6. Attractiveness gained less than half a point either way. A separate replication found that smiling made no significant difference to men's attractiveness.
Now, here's 10 that make people look less trustworthy.
1. Sunglasses
One university study found that sunglasses reduced trustworthiness ratings. In a separate study of 800 headshots, sunglasses lowered likability by 0.36 points, while a slight squint raised it by 0.22.
2. Beauty Filters
A 2023 study had 241 women rate Tinder-style profiles of men with and without photo filters. The edited photos made the men seem more attractive but less trustworthy. Even so, women were more interested in dating the men in the filtered photos, suggesting that the boost in appearance outweighed concerns about trust.
Apostolos Vamvouras on Unsplash
3. Close-Up Selfies
How far the camera sits from your face can change how others see you. In one study, researchers photographed 18 people from about two feet away and again from seven feet. Viewers rated the close-up photos as less attractive and less trustworthy, and judged the people as less competent too.
Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
4. A Head Tilted Up or Down
The angle of your head can change how trustworthy you appear in photos. A 2020 study found that people with their heads tilted upward or downward were rated as less trustworthy and more dominant than those looking straight ahead. Researchers suggested that tilting the head changed how viewers interpreted facial expressions, even when the face itself stayed the same.
5. Outdated or Retouched Photos
About a third of 54 online dating photos were judged not accurate in a 2009 study, and women's photos were more likely to be older and retouched or taken by a professional. A 2024 conference abstract found that AI-enhanced profile photos were rated high for quality, but telling raters that AI made them lowered the ratings.
6. An Angry-Looking Expression
A 2008 computer model built from ratings of 300 faces produced an untrustworthy extreme that looked angry, with downturned mouth corners and eyebrows pointing down toward the center. The most trustworthy extreme had a U-shaped mouth and eyes that looked almost surprised.
7. Eyes Hidden by Hair or Shadow
Keeping your eyes clearly visible can make a difference in professional headshots. One study found that people whose eyes were hidden by hair or shadows were rated as less competent and influential. A slight squint had the opposite effect, making people appear more competent. Even small changes around the eyes can affect the impression a photo makes.
8. A Very Dark Photo
Poor lighting can make someone appear less likable in a photo. One study found that very dark headshots received lower likability ratings than well-lit ones, with an even bigger penalty than wearing sunglasses. The background, however, made little difference, suggesting that how clearly people can see your face matters more than what's behind you.
9. Oversaturated Color
High color saturation lowered competence ratings by 0.31 points in the headshot study, about the same size as the penalty for hidden eyes. Black-and-white photos showed no significant effect, so a heavy filter may be a bigger risk than removing color.
Anastasiia Chaikovska on Pexels
10. Mirror Selfies
Bumble reported in 2016 that mirror selfies were its most swiped-left photo type, and 86 percent of the profiles users reported contained them. That measures how often people swiped left, which isn't a direct trust rating.
