Across speed‑dating labs and real‑style app tests, intelligence is detectable but adds little to sexual appeal compared with physical attractiveness. A 2025 study using verified IQ on synthetic profiles found attractiveness (~β=0.80) outweighed intelligence (~β=0.12) by roughly sevenfold, with similar patterns in face‑to‑face experiments. Population‑genetic data further link higher intelligence/education to greater sexlessness risk.
— This challenges widely held claims that intelligence is a decisive attractor, reshaping conversations about dating advice, status signaling, and the roots of sexlessness/incel trends.
Davide Piffer
2025.10.01
100% relevant
Witmer, Rosenbusch & Meral (2025): verified IQ badges on profiles had a small positive effect on swipes but were dwarfed by looks; Driebe et al. (2021) speed‑dating showed intelligence perception didn’t boost appeal.
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