Food and dating are infinitely intertwined, and recently, the dating app Zoosk decided to analyze how mentioning different foods and food-related phrases changes online daters’ romantic interactions. The results were impressive, to say the least.
Food preferences do have an impact on romantic interactions, and for the most part, it’s positive. After analyzing 3,733,185 dating profiles and 364,609,566 first messages, surveying over 7,000 singles, this is what they found out:
Thanksgiving and Christmas are daters’ favorite food-centric holidays. Either talking about how much you ate during the holidays, sharing some funny family drama or cute pictures are all easily relatable topics which could work out in your favor.
Users who mention guacamole, potatoes, and chocolate, in their dating profile, receive over 100% more incoming messages than the average single. So don’t be afraid to put your food preferences up there, but maybe not all of them.
Interestingly, mentioning fried chicken results in receiving 15% fewer messages, and yams equal to getting a startling 70% fewer messages. “Get yourself someone who can cook” still seems to be a widely appreciated stigma.
People who mention either being a foodie or cooking results in a rise in message income of 82% and 26% respectively. In a surprising twist, people who openly state they are vegans, who got ignored back in 2015, now receive up to 62% more messages than the average Zoosk user.
Although mentioning food in your profile can lead to receiving more conversation starters, it isn’t a recommended subject for initial messages and even capable of hurting your chances. The study also captured useful data for those first date ideas.
Seafood, followed by steak were the preferred dinner choices. Although fast food for a first date doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue for men – only 25% thought negatively of the idea – at least 59% of women have a problem with it, 10% considering it a deal-breaker.
Buffalo wings and ribs were chosen by 23% as the worst foods to eat on a date, followed by Indian with 15% and hard to pronounce food by 12%. For nights out on a more personal nature, the study shows chocolate covered strawberries are the sexiest food, followed by wine and cheese.
This article was inspired by ZOOSK // Zoosk Data Study: The Ultimate Guide To Food and Dating