How much time is spent on a dating profile username?

Three seconds. Tops.

Is that hyperbole? Possibly. But if you’re like most when you “happen upon” a dating site to check out potential matches, you first have to create a username.

So, you quickly type in your college nickname and then it’s ‘bring on the pics!’

And those three seconds it took to come up with "FrankTheTank" are potentially dragging down your dating profile forever after.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

While a good username alone can’t guarantee you'll meet girls online, a bad one can surely guarantee failure.

Now, is a username really as important as your dating profile description?

Yes.

Along with being yourself and your pics, your username is the cover to your book. And if it’s not appealing, no one will turn the page to read more.

So, here are a few tips for how to create the best usernames and attract women to your profile.

1.) KNOW YOUR ABC’S

Search Engines
According to research from the London School of Medicine, the first and easiest thing you can do is create something with a letter higher up in the alphabet.

Just from a basic level, if your username starts with an “A”, you’ll be on/near the top when search engines are sorted alphabetically. Conversely, if you start with a “Z” how far down will your profile be listed?

A is for Awesome
The London School researchers say that there is also a connection between success in life (higher income, advanced degrees, etc.) and a name higher up in the alphabet.

In a separate study on names and success, they looked at 15,000 people and found “the further down the alphabet your surname, the less likely you were to be successful.”
So, whether we realize it or not, we tend to infer positive traits on the names at the top of the alphabetical list.

2.) BE POSITIVE AND PLAYFUL

Portray Your Skills
What attributes do you want your profile to communicate?
Well, you can actually use your username to help you be seen in that light.

Research shows that our names can influence how people view us. In one study, 6,000 British people were asked to rate 40 of the most popular first names for various qualities. They found that royal names (and their owners) were viewed as more intelligent and successful.

It’s been shown that guys are drawn to usernames that portray physical attractiveness (Yoga4Life, Cutie), whereas women are more attracted to names that indicate intelligence (BookLover).

Aim For Fun
Just like how you would probably steer clear of a user with the handle “DebbieDowner” (unless it’s used ironically, in which case she might be a keeper), your username should avoid any negative connotations.

Your family might know you as “Lil Pete” because your dad is “Big Pete”, but no one will click on your profile to learn that. I’m looking at you “AloneStarGuy” and “SoSingleItHurts” (sadly - actual online dating profile examples).

Instead, your username should be fun and upbeat like
“LovinLife” and “LifeIsGood”.

3. PUT IN (SOME) EFFORT

Word Jumble
File this under ‘you’re making it harder on yourself than you have to’.

While a random mix of letters and numbers might make sense to you, it’s pretty much nonsense to everyone else. For instance, there might be a great story behind “JZG4242”, but no one is going to stick around to find out; because if you could choose between “FunToHangWith” or “SJ10”, who would you click on?

First Name Only
Using your first name as your username is not really interesting to anyone else (besides maybe your mother). And it kind of shows a lack of creativity - you could use any witty word play you want, and you go with “Bill”?
Again, if your potential love interest sees “Jim” and “LovinLife”, who do you think she’ll pick?

Avoid Clichés
“Just_Looking”. Just no.

Don’t Be Arrogant
While user “Handsome” (who was also flexing in his profile pic) might very well be, having that as his handle probably isn’t the best way to show he’s a fun date. Unless the other person likes to talk about how awesome he is.

4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Birds Of A Feather
Just like how you can improve your dating profile pictures by doing some recon (maybe set up a fake/free account before paying for the real thing), you can do the same sorta thing for your username.

Then utilize the concept of Robert Cialdini’s ‘liking’, which shows that we like those who like us and are similar to us.

Related, there’s another concept called ‘implicit egotism’, which basically means we’re (unconsciously) drawn to things that remind us about ourselves. According to psychologist Dr Brett Pelham, an analyst for statistics firm Gallup, “If you notice even some fragment of your name, it catches your attention and creates a positive association for you.”

So in this case, find your dream girl and then base (not copy) your username so that it’s similar to some aspect(s) of hers or something in her profile. But don’t make it weird. That’s on you.

Make It Easy
And lastly, if your username is easy to read/pronounce, people will favor you more.

In this Wired article on name pronunciation and success, Adam Alter of New York University said "when we can process a piece of information more easily, when it's easier to comprehend, we come to like it more." Alter also said companies with easier names performed better in the stock market.

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