These Are the Books Most People Lie About Reading in Their Dating Profile
If you’ve been trying to figure out if your new crush is a good person by sizing up their Myers-Briggs personality or how they order a burrito, there’s a good chance that you want the 411 on definitive signs someone’s a solid match. Here’s a new one for you to consider: According to eHarmony, a person’s love of reading (and which books land on their list) can also be a good indication that they’re a fit for a relationship. We’ll consider it confirmed: Smart is sexy.
Fascinating research from online dating pioneer eHarmony’s UK division shows that just listing “reading” as a hobby makes a person more desirable to the opposite sex — we couldn’t scrounge up deets on how this works with same-sex couples — and that bookworms, in general, are heralded for being “more intellectually curious than most and find it easier to form open and trusting relationships.” Awww.
Wondering what the top titles are? According to eHarmony, books women list most often include classics such as Pride and Prejudice, along with contemporary picks like Harry Potter and Fifty Shades of Grey. Men opt for adventure and action-packed reads that range from Lord of the Rings to Game of Thrones. Both men and women are huge fans of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; so much that men who add it to their profile see 36 percent more engagement while women see a solid boost at 31 percent. People love Richard Branson even more. Men who mentioned his books saw a whopping 74 percent uptick in attention, while women still scored a solid increase of 19 percent. Whoa!
On the flip side, women who list the Fifty Shades series see a significant drop in communication, while Harry Potter-loving men see their engagement sliced nearly in half compared to men who never mention it on their profile. Just as surprising is how people lie about the books they’ve read; common culprits include series with cult followings, books made into movies, and well-referenced reads. Harry Potter tops the list of most falsely read claims, followed by Fifty Shades of Grey, the Bible, War and Peace, and The Great Gatsby. Yikes.
Of course, successful dating always comes down to finding someone you’re compatible with. So while insights about the people who read specific books might lead to fun pop culture convos, you should always stay true to yourself and the stories you can’t put down, whether they’re beach reads or acclaimed literary novels.
Would you date or dump someone based on how much they read or their choice in books? Tell us on Twitter @BritandCo!
(h/t The Independent; photo via Getty)
