Humans have spent centuries trying to understand the intricacies of love. The answer, as it turns out, might be as simple as GIFs and a dating app. While you spend 20 minutes trying to craft a perfect opener, the guy who sent this GIF is about to take that girl you just matched with out for some cheap beer and free pretzels.
According to Tinder, GIF messages are 30 percent more likely to receive a response than their non-GIF counterparts. The company also revealed that conversations with GIFs were two times longer than those without.
Tinder’s sociologist Dr. Jess Carbino told Engadget she believes the success rate of GIF messages is due to the difficulty of starting conversation with a person you’re not speaking with face-to-face. “GIFs are a good way to assess compatibility and sense of humor,” Carbino says.
Equally surprising, according to Carbino, is that GIFs aren’t just being used by millennials. Tinder’s user range is between 18 and 61 years of age, and GIF usage is universal. Since the feature was enabled earlier this year, users have sent more than 100 million GIFs.
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So, instead of struggling with forced cleverness on a Tinder match next time, just use this:
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