OkCupid Says ‘Controversial’ Pics Do Better On Dating Sites. So What?

Today’s big news in the world of online dating comes from OKTrends, which has used the magical algorithms it gets from OKCupid to come up with a John Nash-esque equation for women choosing their online profile pics. Basically, the new rule states you should feature a photo that plays up a “controversial” feature, because dudes find more generically girl next door types “cute” but  “unavailable,” since everyone on the site is going to find them attractive.

So instead these possible suitors experiment in game theory, and stake out girls who other guys are divided about. As it turns out, it’s the girls who some men rating her very high and others rating very low that fair better at online dating (as measured by how many messages they get from users) than girls that consistently score higher in the looks department. But do you really want to get messaged by guys who think you’re an easy target?

At least OKCupid has a whole math system to make these conclusions. Check it out:

Even though the girl on the left was voted “more attractive” overall, she received only .5 messages per site visit, as opposed to the girl on the right, who averaged 2.3. Think that’s because Ms. Right is a certain “type” that appeals to more online daters? Possibly. But check out the next bunch, who look similar: