ABSTRACT
Previous research has found that in the free text ‘About Me’ element in online dating profiles, liars unconsciously produced different word patterns to those being truthful. In this research, language variables indicating deception were investigated through the programme Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Additionally, emergent coding was used to examine how profile authors write about themselves, specifically in relation to describing themselves as honest and trustworthy. The free text ‘About Me’ element of 150 Irish and 150 American Caucasian, male, online daters’ profiles was analysed, and the differences were compared across the two cultures. The results found that the Irish profiles used more language variables indicating deceptive language than American profiles, and yet the Irish males were more likely to describe themselves as trustworthy or honest. This dichotomy is an interesting one, and is worthy of further study. Applications of this research include online dating profile analysis, and social network and other profile analysis.
