Dating is one the most unnecessarily anxiety-inducing journeys we go through. Making sure you don’t put the other person off has always been hard to judge, and now we’re on our phones 24/7, the fear of getting ghosted can be haunting.
Digital etiquette is a complicated issue, given everyone’s different preferences, but a new study has revealed what annoys Brits the most when it comes to communicating with their new date – and a massive 84 per cent of us are been put off by the messages we receive from someone we’re already dating.
During the early stages – after those awkward first few messages but before the fourth date – the biggest boo-boo that British lovebirds can make is only replying to one question when their new date has actually asked several.
Of those surveyed, 40 per cent said this was the most annoying messaging mistake a new date can make, but be careful – 35 per cent of dissatisfied respondents said too many messages would be enough to put them off.
The study was carried out by Match.com and involved 500 Brits over 25, it looked at everything from grammar to excessive use of emojis.
Match’s dating expert, Vicki Pavitt, explained the findings: “Messaging after the first date is always a daunting prospect. “It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of someone new, especially if the date has gone well.
“But, as the research shows, it’s clearly important to carefully craft the content of your messages if you want to ensure a second or third date and be able to make the real-life connection face-to-fac
Getting the message flow right is tricky to navigate. Do you reply straight away? Or is that too eager? How about when you’ve seen the message (which most apps makes all too clear to the sender), but don’t reply for hours so as not to seem too keen?
According to the study, a third of singles are put off by someone taking too long to reply. BUT playing hard to get and taking too long to reply puts off a different third of participants, with the remaining third presumably uninterested if you respond at all, so there is no answer – sorry.
The best solution the study could find is the fact that nearly 63 per cent of Brits say they ideally like to receive one thoughtful message a day rather than lots of meaningless missives.
Safe to say that you shouldn’t send a cheesy selfie – because it is a big no-no for 34 per cent of people.
Another area in which you can instantly earn yourself some brownie points is good grammar. More than a third of participants said mistakes puts them off, though women seem to be more bothered by them than men. Women also dislike pet names like “babe” and “bae” more than male suitors.
But the most important discovery of all is that 26 per cent of those who took part in the study said they found the poo emoji off-putting. In fact, 39 per cent said emoji overuse in general would put them off.
Top five most off-putting emojis:
The poo face 💩
The “aubergine” 🍆
The horny devil 😈
The bulging bicep 💪
The stick-out-tongue wink face 😜.
Top five emojis used to flirt:
The blowing kiss face 😘
The love heart eyes 😍
The winking face 😉
The lip kiss 💋
The stick-out-tongue wink face 😜.