Conspiracy Beliefs Diminish Online Dating Prospects, Study Finds

The research, led by Ricky Green with co-authors Lea C. Kamitz, Daniel Toribio-Flórez, Mikey Biddlestone, Frank Gasking, Robbie M. Sutton, and Karen M. Douglas at the University of Kent, examined how conspiracy statements in dating-app biographies affect romantic interest. Four experiments used fictitious Tinder-style profiles that either omitted political content, endorsed a conspiracy (e.g., COVID-19 hoax, rigged 2020 election), or rejected such claims; participants rated honesty, intelligence, kindness, and willingness to date.

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Conspiracy narratives are often stigmatized, signaling an undesirable attribute. Shared-reality theory predicts attraction to partners who validate one’s worldview, prompting the researchers to test whether political alignment could offset stigma.

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Pro-conspiracy profiles were rated lower on honesty, intelligence, and kindness, and participants reported reduced willingness to date them. Denying a conspiracy yielded ratings comparable to neutral profiles. An implausible oil-company presidential plot attracted the same penalties as right-wing conspiracies, whereas a plausible fuel-price claim did not lower dating interest and slightly raised perceived intelligence. In a swiping test, neutral and right-wing conspiracy profiles were left-swiped more often; the left-wing oil-company narrative performed like controls but increased perceived narcissism.

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The authors conclude that conspiracy disclosures act as a social stigma in early dating, diminishing perceived warmth and competence. Political conservatism mitigates the penalty for right-wing conspiracies, suggesting shared partisan identity can outweigh general disapproval. The stigma operates primarily through textual cues, absent visual attractiveness cues.

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The authors note that the sample skewed liberal, limiting political generalizability; all profiles were text-only, ignoring the strong influence of physical attractiveness; and the simulated environment may not capture real-world decision dynamics. They propose that photographs and a more politically diverse sample could shift acceptance thresholds.

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• “Disclosing a belief in conspiracy theories on an online dating profile generally reduces your chances of securing a match.” — Ricky Green, University of Kent

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• “Google News Preferences Add PsyPost to your preferred sources Participants who viewed the profiles containing the pro-conspiracy statements rated the profile owner as less honest, less intelligent, and less kind.” — Ricky Green, University of Kent

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• “Denouncing a conspiracy theory did not negatively impact a profile, as those users received ratings very similar to the neutral control group.” — Ricky Green, University of Kent

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• “Participants swiped left more frequently on the profiles featuring the neutral and right-wing conspiracy theories.” — Ricky Green, University of Kent

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The team recommends testing with a more politically diverse sample and adding photographs to assess how visual cues interact with textual stigma. Further testing is needed to determine how high acceptance thresholds can rise and whether early-stage stigma persists in longer-term relationships.

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