We're supposed to think of our vices as the behaviours we need to change, or at least keep a guilty secret. But vices can also be a little mysterious, dangerous, and... sexy?
Hinge, an online dating app, delved into their user data to figure out just how sexy other people find our vices. The answer: not very. At least, most vices people report on the app — like using drugs or smoking — aren't exactly a turn-on. But one vice in particular stood out.
About 91% of the approximately 200,000 people whose profiles the data scientists at Hinge analyzed preferred people who drink, according to a report shared with Refinery29.
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Hinge users share whether or not they drink, use drugs, or smoke up front in their profiles, Olivia Abramowitz, Hinge’s vice president of marketing, says in the report.
“In this study, we found that vices in some cases lead to more likes – confirming that our Members should be open and honest about who there [sic] are – the good, the bad and the ugly," she says.
It's true that online daters should try to curate the most accurate profile information — because most of the time you wouldn't want to match with someone who doesn't like what you're all about, right?
But Hinge's data shows that owning up to certain vices could actually harm your profile. Women who don't use drugs, for example, are 25% less likely to "like" men who do, and men are also less likely (5%) to like women who use drugs.
Smoking showed a bit of a double-standard, as women who smoke are actually 46% less likely to "like" men who also smoke. Yet, men who smoke are reportedly 6% more likely to be interested in women who smoke.
The results overall don't mention how women interested in women or men interested in men or people who do not identify as either a man or a woman feel about these vices, but the general takeaway seems to be that being honest about how often you "grab a drink with friends," could actually award you more dates.
And, at the very least, it adds incentive to that first casual date at the bar.
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