In the world of online dating it isn’t always clear who is looking for a fling and who wants real romance.
Scientists have now discovered a way to tell whether a guy is hunting for love.
Research shows that men are more likely to include a picture of their dog or mention it in their online dating profile if he is looking for a serious relationship.
According to Canadian researchers, they are also more likely than women to do this, while men looking for short-term relationships might show pictures of fast cars or motorbikes or even their naked chests, the Canadian researchers suggested.
40% of men looking for a long-term partner included a picture of a dog in their dating profile. Experts believe dogs can make men look dominant and masculine, while signaling that they may be capable of looking after a pet.
Research suggests that men are more likely to include a photo or mention of a dog on their online dating profile if they are looking for a serious relationship (stock image).
The study was published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science. It looked at all ages and included personal photos. These included 225 men looking to be in a long-term, committed relationship with 225 women, and 225 women seeking the same.
Senior study author Professor Maryanne Fisher, an evolutionary psychologist from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said: ‘Men pictured with dogs in their online dating profiles show they can look after a pet and keep it alive – the kind of investment which can help to keep a long-term relationship going too.
‘The evidence suggests they choose dogs instead of cats for these profiles because cats are seen as more feminine.’
The study was published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science. It examined people of all ages who had personal photos on their dating profiles.
These included 225 men who were looking for a long-term relationship, 215 women who wanted the same and 225 men who were just looking for a casual flirt with no commitment.
Researchers could only find 46 women who were looking for a no strings date, so they did not include them into their main analysis.