Why group pictures are the worst choice for your dating app profile

They are so annoying

They're laughing at your group photos (Getty Images)

So there you are, swiping through Bumble or Tinder or your dating app of choice.

First picture: Oh, a trio of men in which one is definitely hot.

Second picture: Oh good, a huge squad of men containing all three from the previous picture.

Third picture: Excellent, a zoomed-out picture of a man in ski-gear up a snowy mountain.

Fourth picture: A shot of four men with attractive women draped over them on a night out. WHICH MAN IS THE OWNER OF THIS DATING APP PROFILE?

Fifth picture: A fuzzy headshot of a man. Oh. *swipes left*

I am firmly of the opinion that group pictures are one of the worst things a person can have on their dating app profile.

Yes, worse than mirror selfies. Worse than Snapchat filters. Worse than the guy who had haemorrhoid cream in the backdrop of his photo.

“I find myself scrolling through a load of group shots of guys where I am not even sure who the actual guy is (usually resulting in a left swipe cause cba with that),” 26-year-old doctor Ambi from Birmingham told The Independent.

We know you have friends. Everyone has friends. Even the people who don’t have friends have pictures with other people that make it look like they do. You don’t have to prove it.

Believe it or not, we’re not looking to date a whole rugby team at once. Although now I think about it… No, no.

Group pictures are the absolute worst.

Firstly, we have to spend ages working out which one is the right person.

Secondly, more often that not, one of your friends is hotter than you so when we work out which one you are, we’re going to be disappointed.

Thirdly, they often mean we can’t really see you clearly.

Fourthly, if your mates look like d***heads, that creates a more negative image of you.

And the general consensus is that men are more guilty of committing this dating app crime than women.

“I think both sexes like to rely on the old group photos but yes men probably have the edge,” Saskia Nelson, founder of dating photography company Hey Saturday, told The Independent. “They think it makes them look popular.”

But Nelson thinks group photos are a bad move on your dating profile and will put people off: “For example, people might fancy the person's friends more or not like the look of their friends at all, thinking that perhaps they wouldn't fit well with their lifestyle.”

She points to research which claims that when men in particular are pictured with the opposite sex, this can create negative feelings and jealousy amongst the women checking out their profiles.

Or, to be honest, it can just make a woman admire the girl in question’s hair/shoes/awesome glittery makeup more than the man she’s meant to be considering.

But why do men have more group photos than women?

One theory is that young women simply have more photos of themselves - when we’re all dressed up for a party or night out, we’ll ask our friends to take a quick snap.

What’s more, women generally tend to be better at knowing their angles and how to pose in photos.

We also put more effort into our dating profiles:

“In my experience, girls put more effort into their profiles so that it represents every side of their personality, whereas (especially on Tinder) some guys just post topless photos or have only group shots,” 21-year-old student Marieke from Leeds told The Independent.

“In my opinion, the most successful profiles for guys are the ones where they're actually dressed and don't look completely hammered in every photo,” she added.

24-year-old teacher Stef from Winchester believes women tend to be more selective with their pictures than men: “We might have a group picture to show we have fun but we’ll make it one of four or five pictures of just us. And our main pic will always be just us!”

The thing is, men know group shots are annoying, so maybe they just really don’t have any better photos:

“Generally girls having lots of group pics is a negative thing,” 24-year-old Londoner Jake explained.

“People tend to view group pics as trying to hide yourself which is usually not for good reasons. Obviously each person is different and this isn’t a very nice way of looking at it but this seems to be the vibe among people that I know.”

Don’t try and hide yourself.

If you look exceptionally hot in a group picture, fine. One is allowed. But for the love of God, don’t make it your first picture, don’t use it if all your mates look better than you, and don’t combine it with four other group shots!