The not-so-blind date : how online information-seeking influences first date romantic attraction.

With the advent of social media, individuals like never before can gather information about a potential date prior to the first date. Previous research has explored both online information-seeking and attraction, yet little is known about how online profile information might negatively influence romantic attraction on the first date. To study this, the investigator recruited 146 individuals to interact with an assigned partner with which he or she was not previously acquainted. Each of the 73 dyad partner groups were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control condition determining the amount of information received prior to the interaction. Following a 15-minute conversation, dyads were separated and instructed to complete a post-interaction questionnaire consisting of Likert-type scales. Participant responses were analyzed using statistical software to determine how the amount of information received prior to the interaction influenced attraction and the desire for a future interaction.