Does Online Dating Really Work?

Good news, visual learners: I come bearing a new infographic.

Everyone knows that online dating is big business. According to a popular dating site, the booming industry now has 40 million users and rakes in $1.9 billion in annual revenue. But the question is: does online dating actually help the lovelorn singles it was created for? Or does it only help out the companies who are scooping up their hard-earned cash?

MBAPrograms compiled an infographic of research from a range of different sources to figure out who the real online dating winners are. Here's what they found...

We're almost all liars:

• 81% of people lie about their height, weight, or age in their profiles.
• Women, on average, claim to be 8.5 lbs lighter than they really are and use profile photos that are 1.5 years old.
• Men, on average, describe themselves as 2 lbs lighter and add a half inch to their height. They also use outdated photos, but show a preference for pictures that are only 6 months old.

Despite the lies, the online dating industry is making a mint:

• In 2007, 20 million people visited or used an online dating site and the industry made $900 million.
• In 2012, 40 million people visited or used an online dating site and annual revenue has reached almost $2 billion.

Online daters are a time-crunched bunch:

• The average couple who meets online waits 18.5 months to get married.
• The average couple who meets offline waits 42 months to tie the knot.

Although online dating is hugely popular, it may not be changing the marriage landscape as much as you think. The ways in which married people met their spouses have remained relatively unchanged in the past few years:

• At work or school: 36% in 2006/2007, 38% in 2009/2010
• Through a friend or family member 26% in 2006/2007, 27% in 2009/2010
• On an online dating site: 17% in both 2006/2007 and 2009/2010

If it's not having a massive impact on marriage, yet it's making major cash for the industry, why bother with online dating at all?

• You can get to know your date from the comfort of your own home.
• First date jitters are lessened when you've already "met" your date in cyberspace.
• Your search for love is wider than your local dating pool.
• You can show your interest (or lack thereof) without the fear of face-to-face rejection.
• You can easily weed out incompatible matches.

For more facts on online dating, check out the original infographic here.