Good news for all you bookclubbers (well, maybe for the ones who aren’t just there for the wine), as it turns out being a bookworm makes you more attractive.
Research by the online matchmakers eHarmony has revealed that being an avid reader ups your appeal with the opposite sex.
However, it’s better news for the men than for ladies. The dating site has revealed that fellas who list reading as a pastime on their profile receive a whopping 19 percent more messages, but bizarrely female readers only receive 3 percent more interest.
The types of books you read also appear to make a difference to your sex appeal, or lack thereof. Lads who admit to being fans of the Harry Potter books on their profile reduce their chances with the ladies by more than half – receiving 56 percent less messages than those who don’t list wizarding in their favourite reads.
If you’re one of Christian Grey’s many female fans, consider keeping it to yourself as women who fess up to being fans of the Fifty Shades books receive 16 percent less communication. Perhaps the guys are scared they’ll end up handcuffed by the end of dinner?
Both male and female fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fare better in the match stakes – men who list this book receive 36 percent more messages and women are 31 percent more popular. Likewise, volunteering as tribute isn’t just working out for Katniss Everdeen; female fans of The Hunger Games get 44 percent more online contact and guys hit a 21 percent increase in their messages when they declare themselves fans of the series.
The book guaranteed to make you a big success in the world of online dating is a bit of a shocker. Apparently, men who mention Richard Branson’s business manifestos Screw it, Let’s Do It and Like a Virgin: Secrets they don’t teach you at business school receive (a rather shocking) 74 percent more fan mail, with women seeing an increase of 19 percent. Say what?! We did not see that one coming.
Thriller writers like Dan Brown and John Grisham work in men’s favour but trashy romance novels don’t bring luck in love for the ladies, with Danielle Steele fans seeing a 56 percent drop in online messages.
Both genders admit to telling porky pies about what they have read; Harry Potter and Fifty Shades of Grey make an appearance again as the books most people lie about having read, followed by The Bible, War and Peace, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Men: Books with the biggest impact on online dating messages
| Book | Difference in number of messages received |
|---|---|
| Screw It, Let’s Do It and Like a Virgin | +74 percent |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | +36 percent |
| 1984 | +21 percent |
| World War II | +16 percent |
| The Da Vinci Code | +5 percent |
| The Hobbit | -15 percent |
| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | -22 percent |
| Lord of the Rings series | -24 percent |
| The Bible | -37 percent |
| Harry Potter series | -55 percent |
Women: Books with the biggest impact on online dating messages
| Book | Difference in number of messages received |
|---|---|
| The Hunger Games | 44 percent |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | +31 percent |
| A Game of Thrones | +30 percent |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 21 percent |
| Pride and Prejudice | +18 percent |
| Harry Potter series | +16 percent |
| Lord of the Rings series | +10 percent |
| Twilight | -6 percent |
| Fifty Shades of Grey | -16 percent |
| The Bible | -63 percent |
