Sydney – People dating online are more likely to date those with the same level of education as themselves, but they care less about an intellectual match as they get older, new research has found.
The study showed that more educated people tend to care less about matching the same level of education as they get older.
There was also a difference in the way in which men and women look at education levels in potential partners, and also how this changes depending on the life stage of the participants.
“Older women in particular have a greater likelihood of contacting potential partners who are less educated than themselves, but conversely, younger males fall into this category as well,” said Stephen Whyte, behavioural economist from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
Whyte said the internet had completely changed how people choose dating partners in order to find love. “Cyberdating permits multiple partner choices in real time, which allows for a significantly greater available choice of potential mates. This increased pool means greater opportunity for selection of partners with lower, similar or even higher levels of certain characteristics,” Whyte said.
This includes education, which is commonly used in human mating behaviour as a proxy for resources, and future provision as it can represent economic advantages. – IANS