[Survey of 6,981 Dating App Users] Approximately 90% have 'rejected based on photo alone'
A survey of 6,981 dating app users revealed that approximately 90% have 'rejected' someone based solely on their photo. For women, excessive photo editing was the top reason for rejection, while for men, lack of cleanliness was the primary turn-off, with natural smiles and overall atmosphere being highly valued.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 13:39 (18h 39m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 07:16 (377h 37m after Collected)
Wakuwaku Mail (https://550909.com/), Japan's largest dating matching service operated by Wakuwaku Communications Inc., conducted a survey on profile photo awareness targeting 6,981 male and female users. The survey thoroughly investigated the reality of "photos that get chosen" and "photos that are avoided."
We will share the real insights revealed by the survey data, including significant differences in negative factors between genders, and commonalities among those who increased their matching rates by changing their photos.
Source: https://odoriba.love/survey/6063/
Survey Method: Internet questionnaire
Target Audience: Male and female Wakuwaku Mail users in their 20s to 40s
Valid Responses: 5,845 males / 1,136 females (Total 6,981 respondents)
Survey Period: January 19 (Mon) - January 22 (Thu), 2026
Survey Organizer: Wakuwaku Mail (https://550909.com/)
Survey Company: Wakuwaku Communications Inc.
Response Format: Single choice, multiple choice, free description
◆ Q1. How much importance do you place on profile photos in dating apps? (Single answer)
Approximately 70% answered "important." For women, "very important" was about 30%, 1.5 times that of men.
The total for "important (somewhat + very)" was 64% for men and 69% for women, with about 70% of both genders valuing photos. For "very important," women were at 30% and men at 20%, showing a tendency for women to be more critical of photos.
◆ Q2. Have you ever immediately rejected someone based on their profile photo? (Single answer)
"Immediate rejection" experience: 88% for men, 87% for women. Over half of women answered "often."
The total for "often + sometimes" was 88% for men and 87% for women, almost the same rate. However, for "often" alone, there was a difference of about 12 percentage points (women 55%, men 43%), indicating that women filter based on photos more frequently.
◆ Q3. What is the single most immediate turn-off in an opposite-sex profile photo? (Single answer)
Men's top answer: "Excessive editing." Women's top answer: "Lack of cleanliness."
For men, "excessive editing" was the most common at 40%, showing a strong preference for natural appearance. For women, "lack of cleanliness" was by far the top at 35%, about 1.8 times higher than men (20%). "Overly posed/narcissistic feel" also showed a strong negative reaction from women (11%) compared to men (3%).
▶ Other comments received:
[Simply not my type] [Photo for marriage hunting / like a driver's license photo] [Topless] [Serious selfie] [Too clean / blurry image quality]
◆ Q4. What points in an opposite-sex photo make you feel there's a lack of cleanliness? (Multiple answers)
For women, "untidy beard/eyebrows" was top at 44%. The difference from men's answer (4%) was about 11 times.
Women's most concerning cleanliness point was "untidy beard/eyebrows" at 44%, a striking difference from men (4%). "Wrinkled/sloppy clothes" and "untidy hair" were common cleanliness standards for both genders, ranking high for both. 31% of men answered "none in particular," suggesting a lower interest in judging cleanliness from photos.
▶ Other comments received:
[Selfie in a dirty mirror/toilet mirror] [Too old a photo] [Sloppy appearance] [Excessive makeup] [Smoking pose] [Wearing sweatpants]
◆ Q5. What points in an opposite-sex profile photo make you feel they are a player? (Multiple answers)
Women's top answer: "Brand/luxury appeal" at 44%. Men's top answer: "Revealing clothing" at 33%.
For women, "strong brand/luxury appeal" was the most common at 44%, followed by "many photos of nightlife/alcohol" at 29%. For men, "revealing clothing" at 33% and "excessive editing" at 33% were almost tied for the top. "Photos with close proximity to the opposite sex" showed women (19%) to be more sensitive than men (5%).
▶ Other comments received:
[Taken in a love hotel] [Luxury car/foreign car in photo] [Cropped two-shot with opposite sex] [Posing too practiced] [Emphasizing chest]
◆ Q6. What is the most important point in an opposite-sex profile photo? (Single answer)
For both men and women, "overall atmosphere" was top at about half. Women prioritize cleanliness over facial features.
"Overall atmosphere" was the overwhelming number one for both men (49%) and women (47%). Gender differences appeared from the second place onwards; for men, "facial features" followed at 21%, while for women, "cleanliness" came in second at 18%, surpassing "facial features" (17%).
◆ Q7. What kind of photo makes you think, "This person seems nice"? (Free description)
"Smiling," "natural," and "unfiltered" were overwhelmingly common. Keywords shared by both genders.
Keywords related to "smiling" (smile, natural smile, photo with a smile, lovely smile, etc.) totaled over 1,000. Next, "natural feeling, natural, unfiltered" and other natural-themed keywords followed with over 470 mentions. "Cleanliness" and "atmosphere" also ranked high, consistent with the results of Q3 and Q4.
▶ Other comments received:
[Unforced atmosphere] [Kind face] [Back view] [Well-groomed appearance] [Natural photo taken by someone else] [Photos conveying hobbies] [Natural photos that don't look AI-generated]
◆ Q8. Have you ever felt that it became easier to match after changing your photo? (Single answer)
33% of women felt an increase in matching rate after changing photos. This is about 3 times higher than men (11%).
33% of women felt it became easier to match after changing their photos, about 3 times higher than men (11%). For men, "don't know" accounted for over half (52%), indicating a structure where men find it harder to feel the impact of photos on matching rates.
◆ Q9. Characteristics of photos that made it easier to match (Respondents who answered "yes" to Q8 / Multiple answers)
For both men and women, "natural smile" was top at about 40%. For women, "registering multiple photos" was also effective.
"Natural smile" was number one for both men (39%) and women (37%). For women, "registered multiple photos" came in second at 23%, indicating that registering multiple photos is more effective for women than for men (16%).
◆ Q10. Have you ever experienced a gap between the profile photo and the actual person? (Single answer)
86% of men and 81% of women experienced a gap. For men, "often" was 47%.
"Often + sometimes" was 86% for men and 81% for women, meaning the vast majority experienced a gap. For men, "often" was 47%, about 10 percentage points higher than women (37%), indicating they experience gaps more frequently.
◆ Q11. In what sense was the gap? (Respondents who answered "yes" to Q10)
"Worse than the photo" was 71% for men and 60% for women. The problem of "over-editing" becomes apparent.
We will share the real insights revealed by the survey data, including significant differences in negative factors between genders, and commonalities among those who increased their matching rates by changing their photos.
Source: https://odoriba.love/survey/6063/
Survey Method: Internet questionnaire
Target Audience: Male and female Wakuwaku Mail users in their 20s to 40s
Valid Responses: 5,845 males / 1,136 females (Total 6,981 respondents)
Survey Period: January 19 (Mon) - January 22 (Thu), 2026
Survey Organizer: Wakuwaku Mail (https://550909.com/)
Survey Company: Wakuwaku Communications Inc.
Response Format: Single choice, multiple choice, free description
◆ Q1. How much importance do you place on profile photos in dating apps? (Single answer)
Approximately 70% answered "important." For women, "very important" was about 30%, 1.5 times that of men.
The total for "important (somewhat + very)" was 64% for men and 69% for women, with about 70% of both genders valuing photos. For "very important," women were at 30% and men at 20%, showing a tendency for women to be more critical of photos.
◆ Q2. Have you ever immediately rejected someone based on their profile photo? (Single answer)
"Immediate rejection" experience: 88% for men, 87% for women. Over half of women answered "often."
The total for "often + sometimes" was 88% for men and 87% for women, almost the same rate. However, for "often" alone, there was a difference of about 12 percentage points (women 55%, men 43%), indicating that women filter based on photos more frequently.
◆ Q3. What is the single most immediate turn-off in an opposite-sex profile photo? (Single answer)
Men's top answer: "Excessive editing." Women's top answer: "Lack of cleanliness."
For men, "excessive editing" was the most common at 40%, showing a strong preference for natural appearance. For women, "lack of cleanliness" was by far the top at 35%, about 1.8 times higher than men (20%). "Overly posed/narcissistic feel" also showed a strong negative reaction from women (11%) compared to men (3%).
▶ Other comments received:
[Simply not my type] [Photo for marriage hunting / like a driver's license photo] [Topless] [Serious selfie] [Too clean / blurry image quality]
◆ Q4. What points in an opposite-sex photo make you feel there's a lack of cleanliness? (Multiple answers)
For women, "untidy beard/eyebrows" was top at 44%. The difference from men's answer (4%) was about 11 times.
Women's most concerning cleanliness point was "untidy beard/eyebrows" at 44%, a striking difference from men (4%). "Wrinkled/sloppy clothes" and "untidy hair" were common cleanliness standards for both genders, ranking high for both. 31% of men answered "none in particular," suggesting a lower interest in judging cleanliness from photos.
▶ Other comments received:
[Selfie in a dirty mirror/toilet mirror] [Too old a photo] [Sloppy appearance] [Excessive makeup] [Smoking pose] [Wearing sweatpants]
◆ Q5. What points in an opposite-sex profile photo make you feel they are a player? (Multiple answers)
Women's top answer: "Brand/luxury appeal" at 44%. Men's top answer: "Revealing clothing" at 33%.
For women, "strong brand/luxury appeal" was the most common at 44%, followed by "many photos of nightlife/alcohol" at 29%. For men, "revealing clothing" at 33% and "excessive editing" at 33% were almost tied for the top. "Photos with close proximity to the opposite sex" showed women (19%) to be more sensitive than men (5%).
▶ Other comments received:
[Taken in a love hotel] [Luxury car/foreign car in photo] [Cropped two-shot with opposite sex] [Posing too practiced] [Emphasizing chest]
◆ Q6. What is the most important point in an opposite-sex profile photo? (Single answer)
For both men and women, "overall atmosphere" was top at about half. Women prioritize cleanliness over facial features.
"Overall atmosphere" was the overwhelming number one for both men (49%) and women (47%). Gender differences appeared from the second place onwards; for men, "facial features" followed at 21%, while for women, "cleanliness" came in second at 18%, surpassing "facial features" (17%).
◆ Q7. What kind of photo makes you think, "This person seems nice"? (Free description)
"Smiling," "natural," and "unfiltered" were overwhelmingly common. Keywords shared by both genders.
Keywords related to "smiling" (smile, natural smile, photo with a smile, lovely smile, etc.) totaled over 1,000. Next, "natural feeling, natural, unfiltered" and other natural-themed keywords followed with over 470 mentions. "Cleanliness" and "atmosphere" also ranked high, consistent with the results of Q3 and Q4.
▶ Other comments received:
[Unforced atmosphere] [Kind face] [Back view] [Well-groomed appearance] [Natural photo taken by someone else] [Photos conveying hobbies] [Natural photos that don't look AI-generated]
◆ Q8. Have you ever felt that it became easier to match after changing your photo? (Single answer)
33% of women felt an increase in matching rate after changing photos. This is about 3 times higher than men (11%).
33% of women felt it became easier to match after changing their photos, about 3 times higher than men (11%). For men, "don't know" accounted for over half (52%), indicating a structure where men find it harder to feel the impact of photos on matching rates.
◆ Q9. Characteristics of photos that made it easier to match (Respondents who answered "yes" to Q8 / Multiple answers)
For both men and women, "natural smile" was top at about 40%. For women, "registering multiple photos" was also effective.
"Natural smile" was number one for both men (39%) and women (37%). For women, "registered multiple photos" came in second at 23%, indicating that registering multiple photos is more effective for women than for men (16%).
◆ Q10. Have you ever experienced a gap between the profile photo and the actual person? (Single answer)
86% of men and 81% of women experienced a gap. For men, "often" was 47%.
"Often + sometimes" was 86% for men and 81% for women, meaning the vast majority experienced a gap. For men, "often" was 47%, about 10 percentage points higher than women (37%), indicating they experience gaps more frequently.
◆ Q11. In what sense was the gap? (Respondents who answered "yes" to Q10)
"Worse than the photo" was 71% for men and 60% for women. The problem of "over-editing" becomes apparent.
FAQ
Why are photos so important on dating apps?
According to the survey, about 70% of users value photos, and about 90% have dismissed someone based solely on their photo, making it a crucial factor for first impressions.
What is the biggest turn-off for women in men's photos?
The biggest turn-off for women is "lack of cleanliness," accounting for 35%. Specifically, "untrimmed beard/eyebrows" stands out at 44%.
What kind of photos increase matching rates?
For both men and women, "natural smiles" are the top factor, at about 40%. Women also found "registering multiple photos" to be effective.