研究表明交友軟件使人們不那麼挑剔

You might think that when presented with a never-ending supply of potential suitors, people would be getting pickier.

你或許會認爲當出現源源不斷的潛在追求者時，人們會變得更加挑剔。

After all, with a lot of dating websites like Match and eHarmony, users can specify almost everything they're looking for in a partner, so why wouldn't you be choosy?

畢竟，有那麼多像Match和eHarmony這樣的交友網站，用戶能明確找到符合他們所有要求的另一半，那麼爲什麼不多挑挑呢？

New research has revealed, however, that people are in fact lowering their standards as a result of dating apps and sites.

然而，新的研究結果發現，由於交友軟件和網站的出現，人們實際上正在降低擇偶標準。

Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology studied data from Australia's largest dating website RSVP and the dating profiles of over 41,000 people aged between 18 and 80 in a bid to work out whether the rise of online dating has changed people's habits.

來自昆士蘭科技大學的研究者從澳大利亞最大的交友網站RSVP獲取了超過41000名年齡在18到80歲之間的用戶資料，想要研究出在線交友這一社交形式的風靡是否改變了人們的習慣。

They concluded that singletons are disregarding their 'check-list' of criteria and pursuing other potential romantic partners who have sufficient acceptable qualities.

他們得出結論表明，如今單身的人正不顧自己的擇偶標準而追求有足夠多可接受品質的可能浪漫伴侶。

The reason that online daters are more likely to settle could be that they're tired of trying to find the perfect person amongst so many.

在線交友更容易成功的原因是他們厭倦了在如此多的候選者中尋找完美的人。

"We looked at whether or not people actually contact people who match what they say is their ideal partner in their profile, and our findings show they don't. Stating a preference for what you are looking for appears to have little to no bearing on the characteristics of people you actually contact," study author Stephen Whyte said.

"我們觀察人們是否會聯繫那些符合他們個人資料中理想戀人標準的人，然而我們發現他們並不這樣。理想型似乎與你實際聯繫對象的特徵並不一樣。"該研究的作者斯蒂芬·懷特說。

He explains that the nature of online dating is triggering changed in the psychology of humans choosing a mate.

他解釋到在線交友的實質引起了人們在選擇伴侶時心理的變化。

"Disclosure of 'ideal' partner preferences is a widely offered and commonly-used option for people creating a profile on online dating websites, but whether it's effective or useful in helping people find that special someone is unclear," Whyte says.

"人們於在線交友網站建立個人資料時，理想型特徵是被廣泛提供的，公開這一偏好也是被普遍使用的選項，但是這在人們尋找伴侶時是否有效或有用卻不得而知。"懷特說。

"This study provides quite unique findings in that people may state a preference for an ideal partner but they are more than happy to initiate contact with potential love interests that bear no resemblance whatsoever to that 'Mr or Mrs Perfect' they initially think they prefer over all others."

"這一研究提供了相當獨特的發現，人們或許會寫下理想型，但他們卻更願意從一開始就聯繫有與他們最初認爲符合'完美先生/小姐'標準完全不相關的潛在伴侶。"

In today's busy world, with our seemingly throwaway dating culture, finding a partner takes a lot of time and effort, but the study's results could be encouraging for people looking for love online.

在如今這個繁忙的世界中，伴隨着我們看似一次性的約會文化，找到一個伴侶即費時又費事，但這一研究結果或許能鼓勵人們從網上找到真愛。

So if you lower your standards, the chances are everyone else has too, so you may just meet the one as a result.

既然這樣，如果你降低了自己的標準，其他人也有相同的機會這樣做，那麼結果你還是隻能遇到那樣一個人。